Friday, September 18, 2009

Colleges: Bulls miss late penalty, settle for tie against Marquette

Honors ended even at the USF Soccer Stadium on Friday night, but No.5 South Florida will likely be kicking itself for not adding another victory after a 1-1 draw with Marquette on Friday night.

Javed Mohammed should have give the Bulls (4-0-1) a winning start to their Big East schedule, but he missed a 90th minute penalty, leaving the two sides deadlocked.

Bernardo Anor had given the Bulls the lead in the 30th minute, scoring from a tight angle on the left after being played in by Jorge Mora, and the Bulls would carry that lead to half time.

The Golden Eagles, who entered the game on a three-game losing streak, played up to their highly-ranked opponents, forcing Bulls goalkeeper Jeff Attinella into a number of good saves. They were rewarded for their attacking play in the 57th minute when Adam Lysek banged in the rebound after Amiclar Herrera’s shot had gone off the post.

South Florida also created numerous chances, and freshman Hasani Sinclair had an opportunity to restore the Bulls’ lead in the 76th minute, but was denied by Marquette goalkeeper Matt Pzdrowski.

Neither side created much in the way of opportunities in either overtime period, the Golden Eagles coming closest to snatching victory in the first period when Scott Miller hit the post. Marquette was also reduced to 10 men in the closing stages when Billy Von Rueden was sent off for his second yellow card, but the Bulls weren’t able to take advantage.

With the tie, the Bulls extended their home undefeated streak to 21 games, a record that will surely be tested when No.21 Notre Dame visits on Sunday.

“Notre Dame is a good team,” Bulls coach George Kiefer said after Friday’s game. “They’re always good, always well coached, Bobby Clark is a good coach. I know they have a couple of guys with the (U.S.) Under-20 (National team), so it’s a good opportunity for us.”

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