The Fletch Report: September 18th, 2023

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Welcome back to The Fletch Report, your go-to weekly newsletter dedicated to bringing you the latest on University of South Florida's Olympic Sports. In this concise and informative newsletter, we'll dive into the highlights of the previous week's athletic events and matches, while also offering a glimpse of what's on the horizon.

USF Women’s Soccer: 1-0 In Conference

Dub To Start Conference Play: USF traveled up to Philly to take on Temple in the conference opening match on Thursday evening. The Bulls were able to come away with a decisive 2-1 victory to get back to .500 on the season (4-4-0) and 1-0 to start conference play.

The Bulls used two first half goals, the first came in the fifth minute when a shot by Gentiana Fetaj was parried by the Temple goalie right to Anna Sutter who slotted it away to give USF an early lead. The second goal came via a free kick by pre-season all-conference player Vivianne Bessette just a few short moments later in the 8th minute. USF would hang onto this lead all night, but gave up a PK in the 60th minute to half the deficit.

USF’s offense exploded for 11 shots on goal during the contest, while the defense kept the Owls at bay with a mere 6 shots on goal.

Looking Ahead: The Bulls continue their conference matches with a Thursday showdown with Charlotte at 7 p.m. at Corbett.

Score Summary:

• Temple (W 2-1)

  • Anna Sutter, Vivianne Bessette

USF Men’s Soccer: Showdown with Carolina Schools

Back and Forth with the Tigers: Looking to continue their positive momentum, the Bulls welcomed Clemson to Corbett stadium for a Tuesday night matchup. USF was able to strike first in the 13th minute with a breakaway goal by Ajmeer Spengler, leading to a 1-0 halftime score.

However, the second half saw Clemson tie the game at 1 in the 67th minute following swiftly by a tie-breaking free kick in the 71st to gain a 2-1 lead. Shion Soga got the Bulls level in the 80th minute but the Tigers quickly answered less than 2 minutes later to win the match 3-2 in front of a stunned home crowd.

Falling Phoenix: The Bulls played host to Elon University on Sunday evening for a showdown right before conference play. Elon jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 1st half, when a shot to the bottom right hand corner beat out Alan Horrocks in the 30th minute.

In the second half, USF was able to stay calm, cool, and collected, and Jalen Anderson stayed steadfast to give the Bulls the equalizer and the eventual game winner. His first goal came in the 75th minute, and his second following 6 minutes later, giving USF a 2-1 victory.

Looking Ahead: USF kicks off conference play with a Friday night showdown against heavy favorite SMU at 5 pm at Corbett.

Score Summary:

• Clemson (L 2-3)

  • Afmeer Spengler, Shion Soga

• Elon (W 2-1)

  • Jalen Anderson (x2)

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USF Volleyball: Duval Domination

UNF Sunshine Tournament: The Bulls made their way up to Jacksonville to take part of another round robin tournament against USC Upstate, UNF, and Alabama A&M.

USF started their tournament on Friday, defeating USC-Upstate in a five set thriller. After a tightly contested first 3 sets that saw the Spartans take the lead 2 sets to 1, the Bulls dominated the fourth set to bring momentum into the 5th set. The Spartans matched that energy and had a 10-13 lead (fifth set is only to 15). USF answered with 5 unanswered to take the fifth and the dub.

That evening, USF took on host UNF in a battle of directional Florida schools, where the Bulls ended up victorious taking 3 sets to 1. Buse Hazan went off for a volleyball double-double with 17 kills and 15 digs defensively to provide momentum for USF at crucial times during the match.

On Saturday Morning, the Bulls continued their positive momentum from the night before to absolutely trounce Alabama A&M in a clean sweep, and conclude a three game sweep over the weekend to get above .500 for the first time this season. USF utilized an aggressive approach and capitalized on many Alabama A&M errors to put away what Bulldogs with ease.

Up Next: USF starts conference play, playing host to Tulane on Wednesday September 20th at 6 pm at The Corral, followed by back to back games against Memphis on Saturday the 23rd and Sunday the 24th.

Score Summary:

• USC-Upstate (W 3-2)

  • 22-25, 25-22, 24-26, 25-12, 15-13

• UNF (W 3-1)

  • 25-23, 19-25, 25-19, 25-19

• Alabama A&M (W 3-0)

  • 25-7, 25-15, 25-10