Colleges

USF gets third shot at UConn

By GREG AUMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published December 2, 2007

TAMPA - The first time, USF led in the second half for 14 minutes. The second, the Bulls carried a scoreless tie until seven minutes remained in regulation.

USF's third chance to knock off third-seeded Connecticut comes at noon today - an upset that would take the Bulls deeper in the NCAA soccer championships than ever before.

"I feel like both games were very tight games, so our guys feel confident of what they can do if they can play well for 90 minutes," coach George Kiefer said. "If it were two losses and we'd lost 5-0 and 4-0, then I'd say we have major concerns. But if any team has pressure on it, it's Connecticut."

USF (14-5-2) has exceeded expectations just by reaching the round of 16. The Bulls were expected to beat Colgate, as they did at home in the first round, and then they got a goal from Yohance Marshall in the first minute of the second overtime to knock out 14th-seeded Akron on the road Wednesday.

Reaching the Elite Eight would be unprecedented for USF, but so too would beating Connecticut. The Bulls are 0-6against the Huskies. This season has added two losses but has given the Bulls confidence that they can stay in the game with a team expected to reach the Final Four.

"I think they stole the game at USF, and the second game, I didn't think we played well. I'd say it was our worst game of the year," Kiefer said. "But there were some real simple problems, things we've really corrected since then."

Stopping Connecticut starts with containing O'Brian White, the nation's leading scorer with 20 goals and seven assists and a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy, given to college soccer's top player. When USF took a second-half lead on the Huskies in September in Tampa, it was White who tied it in the 65th minute, setting up a come-from-behind win.

Connecticut is 19-2-1, but the Huskies have been tough at home, where they're 16-0-0. USF tested that in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament, carrying a scoreless tie into the 83rd minute before giving up two goals. When the Bulls shut out Akron on Wednesday, they tied a school record set in 1992 with nine shutouts this season, eight by freshman keeper Diego Restrepo.

Three of the top six seeds in the NCAA Tournament have lost, so USF has a chance to continue that trend, a rare Southern team in a bracket filled with Northeastern schools more accustomed to the snow Saturday on the field in Storrs, Conn.

Kiefer is used to that weather, having played under Huskies coach Ray Reid at Southern Connecticut State, then coaching under him from 1997 to 2002 at Connecticut. That familiarity should help keep the Bulls close today.

"I know what UConn likes, and I know what UConn doesn't like. That helps us, but I don't know that our kids are even thinking about that," Kiefer said. "I feel good about where we are. We have nothing to lose."

[Last modified December 1, 2007, 21:29:47]