It's finally time for the Aggies to play in the 2020 NCAA Tournament.
A&M earned a first round bye and will face #15 South Florida in the 2nd round of the tournament on Friday at 2PM Central. The match will be at MacPherson Stadium just outside of Greensboro, NC. You'll be able to stream the game on NCAA.com and listen to our audio on the 12th Man app.
The USF Bulls advanced to the 2nd round after defeating Central Connecticut State 3-0 on Tuesday. USF is undefeated on the season and carry a 10-0-2 record. USF did not play any games in the fall, so all of their results have occurred in the 2021 portion of the schedule.
The two ties came at Florida (0-0) and at Cincinnati (1-1). USF's only non-conference games were at Florida and at Florida Atlantic (W 3-0). In total, USF has outscored opponents 25-4
After dominating the American conference and winning their 2nd consecutive conference tournament title, USF players also took home the bulk of the individual conference honors. USF placed 5 players on the All-Conference First Team list.
Junior Sydny Nasello (#35) was named conference offensive player of the year. Nasello leads USF in goals (6) and assists (5) and accounted for 4 gamewinners. She also has a team high in yellowcards (3).
Senior Chyanne Dennis (#2) was co-defensive player of the year. The center back has not recorded a shot on the season, but anchors a defensive squad that has totaled 8 shutouts and allows an average of just 3 shots on goal per game.
Junior Sydney Martinez was the goalkeeper of the year in the American. She has only allowed 4 goals on the year while totaling 32 saves. USF has a .32 goal against average this season as the defense has remained strong.
USF also nabbed coaching staff of the year honors.
USF is currently ranked #15 and is 16th in the RPI. The best team they have faced this season based on rankings has been #21 Memphis, who is the only other American conference team to have made the tournament.
I watched the 2nd half of USF's game against CCSU and I saw a well disciplined and well conditioned group. They were well spaced and put together nice short passes through the middle of the field to create opportunities. They took advantage of their set pieces as well and score 2 of their 3 goals from corner kicks. USF did not shy away from physicality and outmuscled CCSU on the ball. USF was able to rotate deep into their bench by the end of the game and looked fresh throughout.
It was interesting to see the 3 goals on Tuesday come from 3 of their international players. German player Chiara Hahn and Canadian player Vivianne Bessette were both conference first teamers for USF and had a goal each in the match. The other came from a Spaniard in Paula Leblic. 13 of USF's 32 players on the roster are internationals. This staff has covered some ground in recruiting this talented squad.
This should be an entertaining soccer match with two talented sides looking to play a pretty attractive style. It will also be a great opportunity for the Aggie team to build on the TCU match and continue to prove the Spring 2021 squad has their own identity without their departed teammates.
A&M earned a first round bye and will face #15 South Florida in the 2nd round of the tournament on Friday at 2PM Central. The match will be at MacPherson Stadium just outside of Greensboro, NC. You'll be able to stream the game on NCAA.com and listen to our audio on the 12th Man app.
The USF Bulls advanced to the 2nd round after defeating Central Connecticut State 3-0 on Tuesday. USF is undefeated on the season and carry a 10-0-2 record. USF did not play any games in the fall, so all of their results have occurred in the 2021 portion of the schedule.
The two ties came at Florida (0-0) and at Cincinnati (1-1). USF's only non-conference games were at Florida and at Florida Atlantic (W 3-0). In total, USF has outscored opponents 25-4
After dominating the American conference and winning their 2nd consecutive conference tournament title, USF players also took home the bulk of the individual conference honors. USF placed 5 players on the All-Conference First Team list.
Junior Sydny Nasello (#35) was named conference offensive player of the year. Nasello leads USF in goals (6) and assists (5) and accounted for 4 gamewinners. She also has a team high in yellowcards (3).
Senior Chyanne Dennis (#2) was co-defensive player of the year. The center back has not recorded a shot on the season, but anchors a defensive squad that has totaled 8 shutouts and allows an average of just 3 shots on goal per game.
Junior Sydney Martinez was the goalkeeper of the year in the American. She has only allowed 4 goals on the year while totaling 32 saves. USF has a .32 goal against average this season as the defense has remained strong.
USF also nabbed coaching staff of the year honors.
USF is currently ranked #15 and is 16th in the RPI. The best team they have faced this season based on rankings has been #21 Memphis, who is the only other American conference team to have made the tournament.
I watched the 2nd half of USF's game against CCSU and I saw a well disciplined and well conditioned group. They were well spaced and put together nice short passes through the middle of the field to create opportunities. They took advantage of their set pieces as well and score 2 of their 3 goals from corner kicks. USF did not shy away from physicality and outmuscled CCSU on the ball. USF was able to rotate deep into their bench by the end of the game and looked fresh throughout.
It was interesting to see the 3 goals on Tuesday come from 3 of their international players. German player Chiara Hahn and Canadian player Vivianne Bessette were both conference first teamers for USF and had a goal each in the match. The other came from a Spaniard in Paula Leblic. 13 of USF's 32 players on the roster are internationals. This staff has covered some ground in recruiting this talented squad.
This should be an entertaining soccer match with two talented sides looking to play a pretty attractive style. It will also be a great opportunity for the Aggie team to build on the TCU match and continue to prove the Spring 2021 squad has their own identity without their departed teammates.
