EAST LANSING, Mich., August 24, 2018–USF men’s soccer fell 1-0 in the final minutes to No. 7/9 Michigan State after allowing no shots on goal for 86 minutes at DeMartin Stadium on Friday night. 

Michigan State’s goal came off of a corner kick from Hunter Barone, headed into the net by Farai Mutatu, over goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares’ (Sydney, Australia) fingertips. 

The USF defense were a bright spot on the night and made big contributions in 90 minutes for the Bulls. They allowed no shots on goal for 86 minutes, and deflected attacks all night long. Notably, Avionne Flanagan (Baltimore, Md.), Henrique Gallina (Atibaia, Brazil), and Marcus Murphy (Orange Park, Fla.) made big plays and forced stops on the Spartans’ attacks. 

Both teams were scoreless through the first half, with USF only taking two shots while the Spartans only took three, none of which were on frame. 

USF finished with four shots on the night, one of which was on goal from senior striker Tomasz Skublak (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada). Adrian Billhardt (Berlin, Germany) had two shots on the night while Trey Jackson (Ocala, Fla.) rounded out the Bull’s offensive efforts with a shot.  Devenish-Meares played all 90 minutes for the Bulls, but with a strong defensive line, did not face any shots on goal until MSU’s decision in the final minutes. Michigan State finished with just seven shots on the night.

Notable

·       The Bulls defense held MSU without a shot on goal for 86 minutes. 

·       Senior striker Tomasz Skublak had the Bulls’ lone shot on goal of the night. 

Up Next

The Bulls will continue their two-game road swing to open the 2018 season in the Wolverine State when they travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. to take on No. 21 Michigan on Monday night. 

About USF Men’s Soccer

The Bulls concluded the 2017 regular season with a 6-6-4 overall record and finished fifth in the American Athletic Conference with a 3-2-2 mark. Head Coach Bob Butehorn leads the Bulls in his second season at the helm in 2018. 

Follow the men’s soccer team on social media (Twitter| Facebook| Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.

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