USF Men's Soccer Takes on Tampa (Exhibition)

The Bulls take on the Tampa Spartans in their final exhibition matchup on the season.

After losing their first exhibition game vs. Jacksonville University 1 to 2, the Bulls return home to host in-city (I guess it works) foe, the University of Tampa (game starts at 7:30 PM). The Spartans finished last season at 14-7-1 (4-3-1 in conference play) and were 5-2-0 away from home (just down the road), so this will be a challenge for Kiefer and his team as they prepare for the start of the regular season. [keep reading]

The Spartans averaged 2.09 goals per game, so offense is a strong point for them and will put the pressure on the Bulls backline to hold (eyes on Blais again). The Bulls have a talented team and should be ready for this game and losing the first game should make them eager to put the rough start behind them.

Senior midfielder Ryan Griffin (6-3 185-pounds) is a veteran striker that returns for the Spartans. He played in 21 games last season, scoring 7 goals and added 3 assists so he will be active all over the field in this game. Junior defender Brian Fekete (6-0 155-pounds) was a solid contributor all last season and will help anchor their back line.

Junior midfielder Dominic Goncalves (5-8 160-pounds) made only 8 starts last season, but scored 4 goals and added 2 assists last season. He will get more playing time as the Spartans begin to reload their team that lost several big time seniors after last season. Senior midfielder Karl Swan (5-10 155-pounds) made 22 starts, adding 2 assists and took 10 shots. Junior defender Matt Knoble (5-9 150-pounds) made 18 starts last year and played a key role on defense. Sophomore goalkeeper David Niepel (6-2 165-pounds from Germany) made 17 starts last season and had 7 shut out wins. He stopped 79 goals on the season and continues to work hard in the net.

This should be a solid test for the Bulls as they prepare for the season. The Spartans are a good team and playing against a team that shares the same city will have them motivated. The Bulls will look to get a lot of their new players on the field and get ready for the competitive Big East schedule. Look for stars like Dom Dwyer, the lone goal scorer from last week, and captain Leston Paul to have a better night and get a few goals on the board.

Check out the hype video below that Bulls Vision released the other night. This is the last tune up game fore the season begins, so the Bulls need to come out on top in this one!