TAMPA, Sept. 26, 2019 – No. 16 South Florida took it down to the wire before scoring to earn a 2-1 victory over Tulsa in the American Athletic Conference opener. With 13 seconds left in double overtime, sophomore Sydny Nasello (Land O’ Lakes, Fla.) drew a foul in the box to give USF a penalty kick. Senior midfielder Andrea Hauksdottir (Kopavogur, Iceland) converted the attempt to give the team its first victory in conference play.
 

USF (6-2, 1-0) dominated on the stat sheet, out-shooting Tulsa, 34-13, and drawing more corner kicks than the Golden Hurricanes, 15-1.

 
Tulsa struck quickly in the first half, scoring just under three minutes into the game. Reagan Whitlow was delivered the ball after a throw in and beat USF goalkeeper Katrina Haarmann (Caledon, Ontario).

Ten minutes later, the Bulls struck back. Hauksdottir delivered a corner kick to Aubrey Megrath (West Palm Beach, Fla.) who took a shot that found the far side of the net to tie the game back up, 1-1.

For the rest of the game, the Bulls were clicking on both sides of the ball. South Florida only allowed two shots on goal for the rest of the match, while taking 11 of its own. However, Tulsa’s goalkeeper, Mica MacKay, stood strong in net, making 10 saves to drive the game to overtime.

The standoff continued into both frames of overtime. Both teams had scoring chances, but the defenses ultimately prevailed through over 19 minutes of extra play.

The Bulls tried for one more attack before the final whistle, and Nasello got the ball just inside the top of the box. The sophomore was able to draw a foul with 13 seconds left, giving USF a chance to end the game on a penalty kick. After a brief deliberation, Hauksdottir stepped up to the ball and composed herself before firing a shot that beat the Golden Hurricane goalkeeper to clinch the victory.

Quotable
Head coach Denise Schilte-Brown on the takeaways from tonight’s game…
"I think you learn. You learn and you grow every game. I think one of the things that we took away from the game is that you have to be prepared for every opponent and it really shouldn’t matter who you play. It’s just your own mentality. If you don’t take care of business in what your thought process is and how you prepare mentally for the game, you’re going to struggle.”

Key Stat
110 – USF had five players play all 110 minutes of the game.

Notable

• The Bulls took 34 shots in the game. The last time the program breached the 30-shot mark was last season, when the team had 34 shots against Florida College on Sept. 21.
• The Bulls took 15 corner kicks during the game, setting the season high for the second straight game.
• USF opened conference play with a win for the third straight season.

 
Up Next
USF continues their conference schedule when they take on Memphis at Corbett Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 29. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. Tickets are available at USFBullsTix.com, or by calling 1-800-GO-BULLS.

About USF Women's Soccer
Be sure to follow USF women's soccer on social media (Twitter / Instagram/Facebook) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. 
 
The USF women's soccer team has posted seven consecutive seasons of 10-plus wins and nine in the last 10 years under head coach Denise Schilte-Brown. The Bulls made their first NCAA tournament appearance in 2010 and returned in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018.
-#GoBulls-

---

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

ECNL Girls N. Atlantic Players to Watch

Women's NCAA Tournament Round Two Preview

Best of Men's College Soccer Week 13