Colleges

In good health, and great form

USF star is healthy for tonight's game against Akron

By GREG AUMAN
Published November 28, 2007

TAMPA- Simon Schoendorf's last two soccer seasons have been cut short by injuries, so forgive the USF midfielder for wanting his senior year to last as long as possible.

Healthy for the first time since he was Conference USA co-freshman of the year, Schoendorf leads USF into a second-round NCAA Tournament game at 7:30 tonight at 14th-seeded Akron, hoping to take the Bulls where they've only been once before.

"It's a huge game for us, and we just need to keep doing what we've been doing all season," said Schoendorf, who is second in the nation in assists per game, with 13 in USF's 13-5-2 season.

Schoendorf, tied for the team lead with seven goals, missed parts of the past two seasons with quads and calf injuries, and having healthy legs has been a big part of his resurgence.

"With a muscle injury, it's always in the back of your head," said Schoendorf, who will graduate in May with a degree in business management. "If you can make it out on the field, you're trying to shorten your stride, doing things you shouldn't. They can hurt you so much. I've been able to have a pretty good last year here, but hopefully we can keep this going."

Coach George Kiefer said playing in the Big East, which put seven teams into the 48-team NCAA field, has his Bulls prepared for the elite competition they face in Akron and beyond. A win likely would give them a third shot at knocking off Connecticut this weekend.

"Going through the rigors of the Big East certainly has prepared us for this point," Kiefer said. "It's been very good for us to know we can play with anybody."

LEADING THE NATION: USF's average announced attendance in six home football games this season was 53,170, up 75 percent from last year's average of 30,222.

The Bulls say that's the largest increase in Division I-A football, and it's one of the primary things USF touted in selling itself to Sun Bowl officials. Only West Virginia drew more. The teams USF was competing with to go to El Paso, Cincinnati and Syracuse, ranked among the league's bottom three in attendance.

MIDYEAR MADNESS: Men's basketball coach Stan Heath is thrilled about the impact he'll get next season from Georgia transfer Mike Mercer, who he faced three times while at Arkansas, including a 67-64 loss in Fayetteville in which Mercer had a game-high 15 points.

"He hurt us bad last year. Hurt us real bad," said Heath, who unsuccessfully recruited Mercer out of the Atlanta suburbs three years ago. "He reminds me of Ronnie Brewer, a kid I had an Arkansas now a Utah Jazz starter, a kid who on any given night can give you a triple double."

THIS AND THAT: Former USF assistant Calvin Magee, now offensive coordinator at West Virginia, is one of five finalists for the Broyles Award, given to the nation's top assistant coach. The others: Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen, Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, Kansas defensive coordinator Bill Young and Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Heacock. ... If the men's soccer team seems to know Akron well tonight, credit assistant coach Ryan Anatol, a USF grad who was on the Zips' staff from 2003-05. ... Jim Leavitt's biggest losses will be cornerbacks Mike Jenkins and Trae Williams. One name to remember in the wide-open competition to replace them in 2008? Freshman Jerrell Young, a 6-2, 210-pound Gibbs graduate who is redshirting and will compete for the job, with sophomore Jerome Murphy the favorite to win the other corner spot.

Greg Auman can be reached at auman@sptimes.com and (813) 226-3346. Check out his blog at blogs.tampabay.com/usf.

[Last modified November 28, 2007, 00:25:49]