Rowdies Cup Ends in 0-0 Tie

TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's soccer team played to a 0-0 tie with the University of South Florida. The annual Rowdies Cup game featured the 11th-ranked Bulls and 14th-ranked Spartans in their respective NCAA divisions.

"As a coach, I am happy with our effort, but the result mens nothing in the big picture," says head coach Adrian Bush. "We have a lot of areas we need to improve on if we plan to compete in our conference."

The match, which consisted of three 30-minute periods, had an uneventful first half that consisted of just one combined shot on goal. USF was credited with a pair of shots while UT had one.

In the second period, South Florida outshot the Spartans 8-5 as UT goalkeeper Ryan Thompson turned away four shots by the Bulls.

The match remained scoreless through the third period as UT had a pair of shots in the final period. USF tallied six shots in the third.

Ryan Maxwell led a UT offense with three of the teams eight shots. Pascal Milien added two shots while Gui Alves, Andrej Gulan and Austin Alvarado each had one.

Thompson led Tampa with five saves while Clete Goddard had one while playing the third period in goal.

The Spartans will open the 2008 regular season on Thursday, August 28, at Christian Brothers in Memphis, Tenn.