Spartans Comeback Attempt vs Bulls in Rowdies Cup Falls Short
Tampa fought back but fell 3-2 to USF in the 2016 Rowdies Cup
TAMPA, Fla. - The University of Tampa men's soccer team fell short of completing the comeback attempt as they fell 3-2 to the University of South Florida Bulls for the 2016 Rowdies Cup. The final score means that USF will hold on to the trophy for at least one more year as they also won in 2015.
Playing at a nearly full Corbett Field, it did not take long for the first goal to be scored as Melvin Becket put the Bulls on the scoreboard one minute into the game. The Spartans fought back and both teams shared possession in the midfield with the home team having two more shots on goal before UT had their first one. Shortly before the 10th minute of play, junior Bay Downing leveled the score at 1-1 as he scored off a header, assisted by freshman Lewis Sugden.
The Bulls took control the rest of the half as Nazeem Bartman scored in the 15th minute and Lindo Mfeka added another one in the 40th minute to give his team a 3-1 lead at the break. However, UT did manage to go into the break with some momentum and were able to capitalize on that as the duo of Downing and Sugden combined again 10 minutes into the second half to draw their team to within one goal at 3-2. Despite having USF on the defensive and the home team continuously breaking up play with fouls, Tampa was not able to complete the comeback as the closest they came to tying the game came in the 75th minute as forward Chris Dusabe saw his shot from just outside the box go off the crossbar and be cleared short of the goal line.
The Spartans tallied 10 shots on the night but did not really trouble the goalkeeper as only five were on target. USF in the meantime had nine shots on target, keeping the Tampa keepers busy and alert as they had to make key interventions to keep the game close.
The annual rivalry game between the Bulls and Spartans 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.
UT will now turn its focus to the regular season as it will open the 2016 campaign at home against the West Florida Argonauts on Sept. 1 at 7 p.m. The Spartans will open with three home contests before their first road game against Warner on Sept. 13 at 7 p.m.
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