USF women’s soccer beats UCF on I-4 War
The USF women’s soccer team defeated UCF 1-0 with a dramatic late goal on Thursday at Corbett Stadium.
The win marked the first time in three years that the Bulls (4-0-1) have beaten the Knights (2-0-2). The last two encounters between the teams, in 2021 and 2022, resulted in victories for UCF.
The Bulls came from a 1-1 tie on the road against Kansas on Aug. 29. Before facing the Jayhawks, USF went on a three-game winning streak in which they scored four or more goals per match. It was the first time the team had achieved this since 2010.
Related: USF women’s soccer saw a historic scoring surge to begin season – The Oracle
The Knights came from a 2-0 win against No. 24 Georgia. This was their second loss of the season.
UCF started the game aggressively, taking three shots on target in the first 20 minutes, all of which were saved by USF goalkeeper Leire Herraez Gallach.
Towards the end of the first half, USF had a goal-scoring opportunity when Anna Sutter’s header hit the crossbar. Sutter has been the Bulls’ most dangerous player this season, with four goals in six games.
The first half ended scoreless, thanks to the performance of the Bulls’ defense.
USF came out strong in the second half, energized by the halftime talk. In the first 15 minutes, UCF goalkeeper Sami Lipkon made many saves.
USF had several scoring opportunities, drawing the crowd – with over 800 fans – to cheers.
As the Bulls continued to apply pressure, the atmosphere at Corbett Stadium suggested that a breakthrough was coming.
With only five minutes remaining, sophomore midfielder Elyse Thornton scored the game-winning goal, and her first of the season, with a shot to the bottom right corner.
Coach Chris Brown celebrated the win as the team prepares for AAC Conference play on Thursday.
“I think this whole non-conference season has been a springboard for us,” Brown said. “We’ve played some very good teams, and we played some teams that on paper we were expected to win, and I think we won those games convincingly.”
The Bulls will return to action next Thursday for their AAC debut on the road against Charlotte.
Correction: Elyse Thornton’s name was previously misspelled
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