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.

Colleges: Adjustment give Bulls big win over Cardinals

A key halftime adjustment helped South Florida score twice in the first five minutes after the break, and gave the Bulls a 3-0 victory against Louisville on Friday night at Cardinal Park.

Despite holding a 1-0 halftime lead thanks to a goal by Taylor Patterson, the Bulls (7-5-3, 4-2-2 Big East) were outshot 9-2 by the Cardinals (4-10-0, 1-7-0) before the break as South Florida struggled to get the ball wide. Bulls coach Denise Schilte-Brown said she thought the Cardinals had prepared well for what the Bulls were going to try and do.

“They prepared for what we were going to offer them well, and we did tell the girls what to expect, but they didn’t think they executed it well,” Schilte-Brown said by phone. “It was like a wake-up call in the locker room, we said our wide midfielders were where the open areas are, and as they have to come out and defend those areas they won’t be able to press as well, so when you win the ball it has to be one-touch out wide instead of trying to take it down, control it and play it out wide.”

The Bulls executed to perfection, as Gina Pacheco scored her second goal in as many games in the 46th minute, and Valorie O’Brien made it 3-0 in the 48th to put the game away.

“We just came out in the second half, immediately went out to our wide players and that caused a lot of problems for them,” Schilte-Brown said. “And we continued to hammer that throughout the half, and it continued to be successful."

Pacheco may have benefitted most from the adjustment, as she was able to find more space in the second half to create chances from central midfield. Schilte-Brown said she was pleased with the way Pacheco took her goal, and how she was a threat after halftime.

“We opened the field giving her space to work,” Schilte-Brown said. “In the first half we were very congested in there, and that negated any opportunity for her to be successful in the middle of the field. She took her opportunity and finished it, and probably could have had a second one similar to (her goal) against UConn, so she did great.”

The Bulls next play on Sunday when they face a Cincinnati team that has just two wins in Big East play after a 1-0 loss to Marquette on Friday night. The Bulls are now fourth in the Big East American division standings, but are tied on points with West Virginia and Marquette, and trail top-placed St. John’s by only two points.

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.”