Sunday, November 22, 2009

College Matchday: No.16 South Florida at No.1 Akron

WHEN: Sunday, 4 p.m., Lee Jackson Field

NEED TO KNOW: South Florida will look to spring a major surprise as it takes on NCAA Division I Tournament No.1 seed Akron in the second round. The Zips are the only perfect team in the nation, entering the game with a record of 20-0-0, and have been dominant all season with six players having scored double-digit points. They are led in that by forward Teal Burnbury, who has scored 16 goals on the season, while Darlington Nagbe has added 12.

The Zips have also been tight defensively, with goalkeeper David Meves holding a 0.36 goals against average having recorded 12 shutouts this season.

The Bulls fell 3-1 to the Zips in preseason, and will likely need to play their best game of the season in order to advance. What they will likely be unable to do is go behind early, as they did against Stetson on Thursday night in the opening round before rallying for a 2-1 victory. Sebastian Thuriere and Bernardo Anor had the goals then for the Bulls, giving them both a team-high six on the season.

However, Bulls goalkeeper Jeff Attinella will likely be the key player for the Bulls on Sunday. The Zips have averaged 17.4 shots per game, and 2.65 goals per game, meaning the man named the Big East Goalkeeper of the Year will need to be on top of his game to give the Bulls a chance to steal a road victory.

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