Tampa Looks to Keep Rowdies Cup in Annual Showdown
TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's soccer team will meet cross-town rival University of South Florida on Saturday night at Corbett Stadium in a battle for the Rowdies Cup at 7 p.m.
The annual rivalry game between the two city of Tampa universities is a preseason staple for both teams since its institution in 2005. USF and Tampa played 19 times between 1972 and 1997 before taking a seven-year hiatus. The two programs renewed the rivalry in 2005 and dubbed it as the "Rowdies Cup" in honor of the Tampa Bay Rowdies 1975 NASL Championship team, which was Tampa Bay's first professional championship team.
USF owns a 7-2-1 record in the series since 2005, though Tampa currently has the trophy after a 1-0 win in last season's contest.
USF is picked to finish third in the American Athletic Conference according to the preseason coaches' poll, tying defending league champion Tulsa for the most first-place votes, with three.
Three Bulls earned a spot on the preseason all-conference team, including goalkeeper Spasoje Stefanovic, who was also named preseason goalkeeper of the year. Midfielder Lindo Mfeka and forward Eduardo Maceira rounded out USF's honorees.
The Spartans return their top three scorers from last season's team that went 9-6-2. Tampa has a rich soccer history with 23 NCAA tournament appearances and three NCAA Division II National Championships (1981, 1994, 2001).
The preseason Sunshine State Conference poll has yet to be unveiled, but Tampa looks forward to an exciting 2015 season with the return of Nikolai Hammer (5 G, 2 A), Keith Francisco (4 G, 2 A) and Chris Campbell (4 G, 2 A). The Spartans have also welcomed a talented group of newcomers, including transfers Romario Grant, Troy Tucker and Jake Winship.
USF leads the all-time series 17-9-3 as the Bulls have won seven of the past 10 meetings between the two programs and holds a 13-7-0 record at home against the Spartans.
Tampa won last year's contest 1-0, thanks to a late goal by Keith Francisco in the 86th minute.
Tickets may be purchased at the gate, or by calling 1-800-GoBulls. Click here for live stats.