Colleges: No.5 Notre Dame squashes USF's hopes

The University of South Florida women’s soccer team was looking forward to the challenge of facing No.5 Notre Dame in the Big East tournament quarterfinals.

With half-an-hour of the contest gone, and the Fighting Irish’s Melissa Henderson having already scored a hat trick, the Bulls may have been wondering if they should have been careful what they wished for, as they saw their season come to a crashing end. Notre Dame added another pair of goals before halftime, and advanced to the tournament semifinals with a 5-0 victory at Alumni Stadium.

“That was a really well-executed and decisive effort for us,” Notre Dame head coach Randy Waldrum said. “When you get into the conference tournament, and particularly when you're coming in off a bye while the other team has had a chance to play already, there's a concern that you might come out flat or unfocused. But we were sharp right from the opening kickoff, we got the early goal and we kept putting the pressure on them.”

Notre Dame took the lead in the 11th minute, as Julie Scheidler’s cross from the right found Henderson at the penalty spot, and the Irish’s leading scorer turned and fired home. The Irish doubled their lead five minutes later, an angled ball from the right side of the penalty area from Lauren Fowlkes finding Henderson for a volleyed finish.

Henderson completed her hat trick in the 29th minute, capitalizing when Bulls goalkeeper Mallori Lofton-Malachi was unable to take a cross cleanly to score her 11th of the season.

Fowlkes then scored her eighth of the season before Lofton-Malachi was substituted for Gaby Garton, a disappointing end to a standout career for the Bulls senior goalkeeper. Garton allowed the Irish’s fifth goal, scored by Ellen Jantsch in the 39th minute, and made four saves after coming on.

While the end to their season came in disappointing fashion, the season as a whole should be viewed as a success for the Bulls.

For a start, they finished the season 9-8-3 overall, the first time the Bulls have finished above .500 for a season since 1999. In addition, of the team's seniors, only Lofton-Malachi saw major playing time for the Bulls this season, giving Coach Denise Schilte-Brown players who progressed greatly over the course of this season to continue to build around in the spring and next season.

Foremost in these is the sophmomore strike duo of Chelsea Klotz and Noelle Pineiro, who combined for 16 goals this season, and junior Angelique Waller, who was outstanding in defense for the Bulls all season. Add in the experience gained by players like Gina Pacheco, Bahar Sansar, Rehana Murani and Taylor Patterson, all of whom could represent Canada in the CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the 2010 Under-20 World Cup in Germany, and the Bulls appear to have a bright future.

College Women's Matchday: South Florida at No.5 Notre Dame

WHEN: Sunday, 1 p.m., Alumni Stadium

NEED TO KNOW: South Florida will try to build on the first victory in the Big East tournament in the school's history when it faces Notre Dame on Sunday afternoon.

The Fighting Irish finished with the best record in the Big East, going 10-0-1, and is 14-3-1 overall. Melissa Henderson leads the team with eight goals, while Lauren Fowlkes has added seven, as the Fighting Irish have averaged 2.27 goals per game in Big East play. But the bigger strength of the Fighting Irish has been their defense, which allowed only four goals in its Big East schedule.

The Bulls will hope that Chelsea Klotz, who is second in the conference in scoring with nine goals, can continue her strong run of form. Klotz scored the only goal in the Bulls first-round victory against DePaul, having another goal wiped on a close offside call.

South Florida should also have Taylor Patterson, Gina Pacheco, Rehana Murani and Bahar Sansar back in the line-up after the quartet was absent while attending Canadian under-20 team tryouts on Thursday. Coach Denise Schilte-Brown said she was expecting the players to meet up with the team in South Bend, Ind. All four have been critical to the Bulls’ success this season, with Patterson tied for the team lead in assists with five.

The Fighting Irish have won both previous meetings of the schools by a combined score of 7-0, including a 3-0 victory last season. This, though, is a better Bulls team than both of those, and the squad is confident it is capable of pulling what would be a major upset and advancing to the semifinals.

Colleges: Klotz lifts Bulls into Big Easy quarterfinals

TAMPA – Whenever the University of South Florida’s women’s soccer team has needed a spark this season, it has always seemed to be Chelsea Klotz that has provided it.

On Thursday night, after the Bulls and DePaul had fought in a scrappy contest that saw more fouls than shots on goal, Klotz scored her ninth goal of the season, and fifth game-winner, to send the Bulls into the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament with a 1-0 victory against DePaul.

Klotz, who had earlier had a goal disallowed on a close offside call, made the Blue Demons pay for a poor turnover, picking up the ball just outside the penalty area in the 84th minute before driving her shot home past DePaul goalkeeper Claire Hanold.

“She did well,” Bulls coach Denise Schilte-Brown said. “It was her first 90-minute game, we didn’t take her off the whole game, and I thought she not only worked hard but she stayed focused and continued to work for an opportunity. “

With the Bulls missing four starters – Taylor Patterson, Rehana Murani, Gina Pacheco and Bahar Sansar—who are trying to earn a place on the Canadian under-20 national team, Schilte-Brown had to turn to players like Taylor Brown and Kendall Campbell, both freshmen, who performed admirably under the circumstances.

“A lot of the girls just went in these positions that they hadn’t played before and said, ‘I can do it,’ “ Schilte-Brown said. “Just confidently took it upon themselves to be positive and confident and I think did really well. There’s just so many things to take away from this game and say, ‘hey, you guys are a great team, and you played together and we’re really, really proud of you.’ “

With the absences, though, the performance of goalkeeper Mallori Lofton-Malachi may have been the most important. While she only made four saves on the game, each one was critical. Schilte-Brown said that when Lofton-Malachi came out and established her presence early in the game, it set the tone for the way she performed the rest of the night.

“I feel that when you walk out to the pitch, and you can hear Mallori starts yelling and she’s getting on her teammates in a positive manner, and then that first service comes in and she catches it, that’s it, she’s going to have a fabulous game,” Schilte-Brown said. “That was it for her today, the first serve came in, she came off her line, cleaned it up, and she didn’t miss one (after that).”

The Bulls will travel to No.6 Notre Dame in the quarterfinals. Schilte-Brown said she expected the Bulls’ Canadian contingent to return to the squad in time for Sunday’s game, and that the team was optimistic it could pull the upset of the top-seeded Fighting Irish.

“I feel confident,” Schilte-Brown said. “I feel like (Notre Dame likes) to play soccer, and so do we, and we will have kids back from national camp who should probably be on a high, and we have the girls that just played here and should be on a high, so we’re going with a lot of positive energy. Why not take that and beat a top team?”

College Women's Matchday: DePaul at South Florida

WHEN: Thursday, 7:30 p.m., USF Soccer Stadium

NEED TO KNOW: South Florida will look to get off to a winning start to the postseason as it host DePaul in the first round of the Big East conference. The Bulls dropped their final two regular season contests to miss out on a first-round bye, but are eager to play at home to try and get back on a winning track.

The Bulls and Blue Demons didn’t meet in the regular season. The Bulls won their last meeting 1-0 last season, Chelsea Klotz scoring the only goal of the game. Klotz leads the Bulls with eight goals, already doubling her output of a season ago, while Noelle Pineiro has six goals and five assists.

The Blue Demons finished 5-6 in Big East play, ending the season with a 1-0 defeat against Villanova. DePaul has fared better at home than on the road, going 4-6-1 in its travels this season as opposed to 6-2-1 at home. Tara Strickland has been the Blue Demons main source of offense, with seven goals and six assists on the season, which put her tied for fourth in the Big East with 20 points.

Colleges: Bulls drop second straight, miss out on tournament bye

South Florida had its eyes on a bye and home game in the Big East tournament quarterfinals next weekend.

The Bulls will get a home game to open the playoffs, but it will be against DePaul on Thursday night as a late goal by Tina Romagnuolo gave Syracuse a 3-2 victory on Sunday afternoon, dropping the Bulls into fourth place in the Big East American division standings.

Romagnuolo gave the Orange the lead in the 11th minute, scoring from the left side of the penalty area after being found by a cross from the right by Casey Ramirez. Syracuse the doubled its lead in the 53rd minute as Tessa MacDougal converted from the spot after a USF handball in its penalty area.

The Bulls hit back, Noelle Pineiro proving critical as she earned assists on both Bulls’ goals. Chelsea Klotz was the first recipient of Pineiro’s creativity, scoring her eighth goal of the season in the 64th minute, and Angelique Waller tied the game with a header from Pineiro’s corner 13 minutes later.

But the Bulls couldn’t complete the comeback as Romagnuolo picked the ball up off a throw-in, beat her defender and shot home for her ninth goal of the season.

The win was the second straight for the Bulls, who will need to regain their form quickly as they prepare to face the Blue Demons. DePaul lost 1-0 to Villanova in its final game of the regular season on Sunday.

College Women's Matchday: South Florida at Syracuse

WHEN: Sunday, noon, SU Soccer Stadium

NEED TO KNOW: While the Bulls loss on Friday dropped them to third in the Big East American division standings, other results going their way later in the day sealed their place in the Big East tournament.

Now South Florida can earn home field for the quarterfinals of the tournament with a victory over the Orange and a Marquette win against St. John’s. That combination of results would allow the Bulls to jump over the Red Storm into second place in the American division standings, and face the third-place team from the National division next Sunday at the USF Soccer Stadium.

On paper, the Bulls end of the formula should appear easy as Syracuse enters the game with a 1-8-1 record in Big East play, but the Orange almost held Marquette on Friday, a late goal giving the Golden Eagles a 1-0 double overtime victory.

South Florida will hope its recent form on Sunday’s will prevail, the Bulls are 4-0-1 in their last four Sunday afternoon games including a 2-1 overtime win against Cincinnati last weekend. Chelsea Klotz was the difference in that game, and will look to add to her team-high of seven goals against a Syracuse side that has given up 1.50 goals per game.

Colleges: Bulls fall in overtime to Red Storm

South Florida saw its chance to win the Big East American division title likely slip away as St. John’s scored in the second minute of double-overtime to win 1-0 and jump the Bulls in the standings.

Courtney Lane scored the game-winning goal, finishing a move started by midfielder Amanda Pasciolla. She found Vailla Barsley, who took a touch and found Lane at the top of the penalty area, and Lane fired her shot into the right corner of the net past an outstretched Mallori Lofton-Malachi in the 102nd minute.

The Bulls (8-6-3, 5-3-2 Big East) only need a point from their final game against Syracuse to secure their place in the Big East tournament, and if results go their way they could still earn home field for the quarterfinals. The loss, though, was a tough one as the Bulls had entered on a three-game winning streak.

The Red Storm (12-4-1, 6-3-1) had had the better of the game in regulation, and Lofton-Malachi did well to keep the game scoreless making five saves. The Bulls chances were limited, Taylor Patterson finding room for a pair of shots that tested St. John’s goalkeeper Kristin Russell, but the Bulls were at their most dangerous in the first period of extra time as Patterson and Valorie O’Brien each had shots saved while Chelsea Klotz and Noelle Pineiro both sent chances wide.

College Women's Matchday: South Florida at St. John's

WHEN: Friday, 4 p.m., Belson Stadium

NEED TO KNOW: South Florida faces a tough test to open its final weekend of the regular season, with St. John’s trailing the Bulls and Marquette by just one point in the Big East American division.

The Red Storm lost their last contest to fall into third place in the division, but with games against the Bulls and Golden Eagles to close the regular season, can jump back over both to win the division crown. The Red Storm has been particularly tight defensively, with goalkeeper Kristen Russell holding a 0.61 goals against average. That has been aided by her back line, which allows only 3.69 shots on goal per game.

Looking to break down the St. John’s defense will be Chelsea Klotz, who leads the Bulls with seven goals. The Bulls have been far better in attack this season, Noelle Pineiro adding six goals, as the Bulls have already scored 10 more goals than in 2008. A big key to that has been the creativity of the Bulls midfield, which has seen Taylor Patterson record five assists and Pineiro, Gina Pacheco and Rehana Murani add three apiece.

Colleges: Bulls confidence high entering final weekend

For the University of South Florida’s womens soccer team, confidence has been the key to the season.

Even when the Bulls came out on the wrong end of results early in the season, there was a belief that ran through the team that their fortunes would change and wins would come.

Now, entering the final week of the season, the wins have arrived. Sitting at 5-2-2 in the Big East, and tied with Marquette for the lead in the American division, the Bulls confidence is high as it enters Friday’s game at St. John's on a three-game winning streak. According the Bulls coach Denise Schilte-Brown, the more the side has won, the more confident it has become.

“Every win is a reinforcement of your hard work and your belief in what you’re doing,” Schilte-Brown said. “There’s no bigger reward than getting that ‘W’, so as high as your confidence is, and as much as we believe in ourselves, it just continues to help with that. I think it’s an important part of being successful is to have confidence and belief.”

A player who has exemplified this has been freshman defender Alexandra ‘Boo’ Eagle. Named to the Big East honor roll this week, Eagle has started 14 of the Bulls 16 games this season, and has been a critical component in the Bulls defense as she has made the transition from high-level youth soccer to college almost seamlessly.

“I think it’s just been her approach to everything,” Schilte-Brown said when asked about Eagle’s success. “She’s just a confident, laid-back kind of kid. I don’t think she asks too many questions, or gets too worked up about anything, she just listens to what you said and tries to apply it without putting too much pressure on herself.”

Chelsea Klotz was also named to the honor roll after scoring twice against Cincinnati, including the game-winning goal in overtime, in a 2-1 victory. Playing at St. John’s – and its artificial turf playing surface – on Friday afternoon, Schilte-Brown thinks Klotz will continue to find success.

“I think her confidence is up there and she’s very aware that she’s getting on the board and scoring those points,” Schilte-Brown said. “I think she feels really good about that, and we’re excited. She’s a very good player on turf, and St. John’s plays on turf, and that seems to be an area where Chelsea excels so I think she’s excited about that.”

As is the rest of the Bulls squad to have the opportunity to win its first Big East American division title this weekend. A pair of victories could give Schilte-Brown and her squad a prize they’ve been looking for since the beginning of the season.

“We feel very good,” Schilte-Brown said. “Excellent week (of practice), very sharp. The girls look ready.”

Colleges: Klotz, Eagle earn Big East honors

South Florida’s Chelsea Klotz and Boo Eagle were both been named to the Big East Honor Roll on Monday after helping the Bulls to two wins over the weekend, pushing the Bulls into second place in the Big East American division.

Klotz scored twice against Cincinnati on Sunday, including the game-winner in overtime, putting her tied for the team lead with seven goals.

Eagle, a freshman, played every minute of both wins against Louisville and Cincinnati, anchoring a Bulls defense that conceded only one goal over the pair of games.

South Florida is tied on points with first-placed Marquette in the American division, but the Golden Eagles hold the tiebreaker over the Bulls after their 2-1 win when the teams met earlier in the season.

The Bulls close the regular season with a final pair of road games this weekend, facing St. John’s on Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. and Syracuse on Sunday at noon.

Colleges: Klotz puts Bulls close to Big East tournament

Chelsea Klotz’s second goal of the game gave South Florida an overtime victory and a vital three points as the Bulls defeated Cincinnati 2-1 on Sunday afternoon at Gettler Stadium.

"Chelsea was outstanding today," South Florida coach Denise Schilte-Brown said. "She has worked so hard on her ability to finish and it obviously paid off today."

Klotz picked up a pass from Rehana Murani, and lofted a shot over Cincinnati goalkeeper Andrea Kaminski into the back of the net in the 97th minute for her seventh goal of the season. The victory gave the Bulls a pair of victories for the weekend, and propelled them into second place in the Big East American division.

After a scoreless first half, Klotz gave the Bulls the lead in the 62nd minute, taking an opportunity created by Gina Pacheco. The Bearcats hit back 11 minutes later, Emily Hebbler scoring after Julie Morrissey’s shot had been blocked.

South Florida now just needs one point from its final two games, at St. John’s and Syracuse next weekend, to secure its place in the Big East Tournament. The Bulls missed out last season, but now have five conference wins, the most since USF joined the Big East.

“Today was a tough match,” Schilte-Brown said. “It is difficult to come up north and adjust to the elements but I was really proud of the team. They were focused and played hard from start to finish.”

Colleges: Bulls rally to upset No.24 UConn

South Florida closed out its home schedule with a remarkable 2-1 victory against No.24 Connecticut, Gina Pacheco and Chelsea Klotz scoring second half goals as the Bulls overcame a halftime deficit.

The Huskies (9-5-0, 4-3-0 Big East) took the lead in the 28th minute, as Elise Fugowski scored off a rebound after Melissa Busque’s initial shot was saved by Mallori Lofton-Malachi.

The Bulls (6-5-3, 3-2-2) responded well after halftime, building pressure before Pacheco fired in the equalizer in the 56th minute. After receiving a pass from Taylor Patterson at the top of the penalty area, Pacheco fired a shot past diving UConn goalkeeper Jessica Duloski into the top-left corner.

Pacheco said the side had been working on getting more shots on goal from outside the penalty area in practice.

“What’s been most important for me that we’ve been working on in practices is getting that shot off from the top of the box,” Pacheco said. “Obviously it was effective, and that’s something we need to do more.”

Pacheco almost gave the Bulls the lead with a minute of the restart, only to be denied. The Bulls continued to press forward, and with 10 minutes to play Pacheco turned provider, centering to Klotz, who shot home left-footed for her fifth goal of the season.

Bulls coach Denise Schilte-Brown was full of praise for Pacheco.

“He belief showed in the way she played,” Schilte-Brown said. “She wanted the ball, she got the ball, she drove it at the goal.

“She was the spark for us.”

The Bulls moved into a tie with Marquette for fourth place in the Big East American division with the win, and now close the regular season with four straight road games, beginning next Friday at Louisville.

Colleges: USF Women continue undefeated run, tie with No.13 Rutgers

TAMPA – South Florida’s women extended their undefeated streak to five games, and picked up another point in Big East play, but were unable to break down the tough defense of No.13 Cincinnati as the two teams played to a 0-0 tie at the USF Soccer Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

“I think we worked hard as a team,” Bulls goalkeeper Mallori Lofton-Malachi said. “Or course we would have liked to score, but we got a point against a ranked team, a good Big East team. In the Big East, when you come out with a point, it’s almost like a win, so I don’t have any problem with it.”

Lofton-Malachi recorded four saves for her fifth shutout of the season, and was a dominant presence in her penalty area all game, catching cleanly to snuff out Rutgers’ set piece opportunities. Bulls coach Denise Schilte-Brown said she thought Lofton-Malachi’s confidence in net reflected on the team as a whole, as the Bulls were for good periods of the game visibly the better team.

“Mallori was really good today again,” Schilte-Brown said. “I think that we felt Mallori’s confidence the whole game, and that continued, and that was pretty exciting.”

While the Bulls were able to control large spells of possession, with Valorie O’Brien and Bahar Sansar doing an excellent job in the center of midfield, the Scarlet Knights’ defense sat deep for the most-part, not allowing much space for Chelsea Klotz, Noelle Pineiro and substitute Kelly Campbell to find room in behind them. Taylor Patterson also threatened down the left side, twice appearing to have broken the Scarlet Knights’ offside trap early in the second half, but both times drawing a whistle.

That spell of play early in the second half, which also saw a cross by Patterson deflect off the top of the crossbar, had Schilte-Brown thinking a goal was forthcoming for her side.

“I felt like we were moving the ball and doing the right things, and we had more energy on the Sunday again than the other team,” Schilte-Brown said.

Rutgers did threaten later in the game, and in both overtime periods, but South Florida’s defense proved as hard to crack as the Scarlet Knights’.

The performance left Lofton-Malachi feeling good about where the team is as it prepares for another pair of home games next weekend.

“I think we’ve got something special this year,” Lofton-Malachi said. “I mean, you look back and we played Seton Hall my freshman year and we lost 2-1, 3-1, I don’t remember. We played Rutgers my freshman year and lost 5-0, so we’ve turned around and beaten Seton hall and tied Rutgers, a ranked team, it’s working. I think we may have finally got it.”

College Women's Matchday: No.13 Rutgers at South Florida

WHEN: Sunday, 1 p.m., USF Soccer Stadium

NEED TO KNOW: The Bulls will face one of the toughest tests of the Big East schedule as Rutgers comes to the USF Soccer Stadium. The Scarlet Knights have only lost once this season, and are 3-0-1 in Big East play after a 3-1 win at Marquette on Friday night.

A big key to the Scarlet Knights success has been their defense, which has only conceded six goals in 12 games so far this season. Goalkeeper Erin Guthrie has recorded an .848 save percentage in 11 starts. That could make things tough for a Bulls squad looking for its third consecutive victory. Chelsea Klotz scored the only goal of the game against Seton Hall on Friday night as South Florida won consecutive games for the first time this season.

Rutgers’ attack has been led by Ashley Jones, who has scored eight goals and added three assists. The Scarlet Knights have scored 23 goals so far this season with Karla Schacher adding four goals and Stefanee Pace with three.

Colleges: Klotz gives Bulls victory over Pirates

After being held in check by a resolute Seton Hall defense for almost the entire game, South Florida’s women grabbed victory in the 84th minute as Chelsea Klotz’s 20-yard strike gave the Bulls a 1-0 win over the Pirates on Friday night at the USF Soccer Stadium.

As she has been frequently for the Bulls (5-4-2, 2-1-1) of late, Klotz was a danger all night, recording four shots for the game. It wasn’t until late, though, that she was finally able to break through.

After picking up a pass from Noelle Pineiro just outside the penalty area, Klotz created herself space against a pair of defenders, and then fired a right-footed shot into the left corner of the net.

The goal was sophomore Klotz’s fourth of the season, equaling her total from a season ago.

Until that point, the game had not seen too many scoring opportunities. Mallori Lofton-Malachi had to be sharp at times, recording four saves, but for the most part Seton Hall (4-6-1, 0-3-1) appeared happy to sit back and try and absorb pressure defensively. Despite the Bulls finishing with 10 shots, Pirates goalkeeper Jennifer Pettigrew was only forced into three saves before Klotz’s goal.

That won’t matter a bit to South Florida, though, which moved into third place in the Big East American division with the win, and will now face No.13 Rutgers on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the USF Soccer Stadium. The Scarlet Knights are 3-0-1 in conference play after a 3-1 win against Marquette on Friday night.

College Women's Matchday: Seton Hall at South Florida

WHEN: Friday, 7:30 p.m., USF Soccer Stadium

NEED TO KNOW: Buoyed by their victory against West Virginia last Sunday, the Bulls continue their homestand looking to string two victories together for the first time this season.

Seton Hall had a tough go of it last weekend, falling to Villanova before earning a draw with Georgetown. The Pirates are still looking for their first win in the Big East, losing both of its conference road games so far. Nikki Gross leads the Pirates with four goals, but they have been susceptible defensively, with starting goalkeeper Jennifer Pettigrew having given up almost two goals per game in eight starts this season.

That will be something Bulls forwards Noelle Pineiro and Chelsea Klotz will be looking to take advantage of. Pineiro scored her sixth goal of the season against West Virginia, and has the most goals by a Bulls player since Lindsey Brauer scored nine goals in 2006. Klotz has added three, but has been a force going forward, leading the Bulls with 28 shots, 17 of which have been on goal, this season.

Colleges: Bulls women rewarded for hard work

TAMPA – After doing everything but find victories against sides like Florida and LSU early on in the season, South Florida’s women are feeling as though their 2-1 victory against West Virginia at the USF Soccer Stadium on Sunday is a reward for the hard work they’ve been putting in over the season so far.

“Definitely,” forward Chelsea Klotz said after Tuesday’s practice. “We’ve been working really hard and winning against West Virginia is huge, and I think it’s going to open the door for more wins against really tough teams.”

The victory was the first for the Bulls in Big East play, having secured a point on the road against Pittsburgh earlier in the week. Bulls coach Denise Schilte-Brown said she thought the positive attitude the team has maintained throughout the season has helped them pull through and reach this point.

“We’ve been real positive with the girls telling them they’re a good team and that they are showing it on the field and doing some really good things when we’re playing some really tough opponents,” Schilte-Brown said. “We haven’t been coming out on the ‘W’ side of things, so to play that game, and work really hard and get the ‘W’, I think it feels like a reward.”

Klotz added that this may be a springboard for the Bulls to push on from, and make a run at returning to the conference tournament at the end of the season.

“We were all really excited, and I think it’s definitely going to push us that much harder to want to beat teams in the conference,” Klotz said. “We want to get to the Big East conference (tournament), and beating West Virginia is a big statement I think to everyone in the Big East, so we’re excited.”

PRIME PINEIRO: Noelle Pineiro had what proved the game-winning goal against the Mountaineers, giving her six on the season, and in turn was named on Tuesday as a CollegeSoccer360.com Primetime Performer of the Week.

Schilte-Brown is pleased with the progress Pineiro has shown as the Bulls have employed a more attacking formation this season, while also giving some credit to the players that have allowed Pineiro to achieve her success.

“I think as a freshman she did well, but now her game has been taken to another level,” Schilte-Brown said, “but I think it has more to do with the teammates around her, to be fair. I think they’ve helped her bring her game to another level. It was there last year, it was just that she was farther away from the goal because we were in a deeper system, she didn’t have as many balls being played to her, we’re a better possession team, so we’re keeping the ball for a longer periods of time, which means she’s seeing the ball more.”

Klotz, who played with Pineiro for Tampa-based club RSL Florida before both players came to South Florida, said the work-rate Pineiro has shown this season has also helped her strike-partner find more chances.

“She’s just working that much harder,” Klotz said. “She has great footwork, when she wants to score you know she has great determination, and she’s working so hard to be the best player she can be.”