The BR-23 USF soccer team is senior-heavy this season – a year after they made it to the NCAA D1 Men's Soccer Tournament and fell to Boston College in an overtime heart-breaker. The Bulls pulled off some big upsets last year, beating then No. 3 Georgetown 2-0 and drawing with No. 12 SMU and No. 13 Old Dominion. Look out for some similarly big wins this year.
Especially with the return of now-seniors Nazeem Bartman (8 goals, 5 assists), Melvin Becket (5 goals, 1 assist) and Lindo Mfeka (3 goals, 4 assists). The trio led South Florida in scoring in 2015, and will provide the bulk of the offensive production this year. Their classmate, senior keeper Spasoje Stefonovic, registered eight shutouts and gave up a 0.86 goals against average as a junior.
Courtesy of South Florida Athletics
Head Coach: George Kiefer
2015 Finish: 11-6-3 (Lost to Boston College in NCAA opener, 2-1 OT)
Key Returners: Nazeem Bartman (F); Melvin Becket (F); Lindo Mfeka (MF); Spasoje Stefonovic (GK); Marcus Epps (MF)
Games to Watch: Sept. 14 vs. North Florida; Sept. 27 vs. Clemson
Key Newcomers: Jonathan Rosales – selected to play for the U-17 U.S. National Team; Ben Espinal – plays for the Chargers Soccer Club and led the team in goals scored with 20
What Else? South Florida soccer will take on a wide range of opponents this season, tapping into seven different conferences with 11 teams ranked in the top 100 of the BennettRank D1 Men's Soccer Rankings a year ago. The toughest stretch for South Florida will be in October, when the Bulls face four of six teams on the road, including Cincinnati, Florida Gulf Coast, UConn and SMU. It's a gauntlet that will make or break the squad's season.
