USF Men's Soccer Back on the Road to Face Butler in the first round of the University of Akron Tournament

Time to roll (Picture: www.gousfbulls.com)

The USF men’s soccer team, after splitting last weekend’s series in Tampa,  hit the road to Akron, Ohio to take part in the University of Akron Tournament.  Their first opponent is Butler who enters the contest with a  record of 1-1-2 on the season (game begins at 4:30PM).

Butler is led by freshman forward Jeff Adkins (5-8 145-pounds) who has 1 goal on 12 shots and 1 assist.  He is the most aggressive striker for Butler and will be a challenge for the senior USF backline to contend with. Sophomore defender Brandon Ficke (6-1 180-pounds) has 1 goal (on 4 shots) and has 1 assist.  Senior defender Tyler Pollock (6-2 185-pounds) has a goal and junior forward Austin Oldham (5-10 160-pounds) has added 1 assist.  Butler is not a high scoring team and does rely on the backline to help them set up on offense.  Look for the USF defense to dictate the pace of the game and for the offense to keep Butler on their heels.

In net is sophomore Don Dawson (6-3 185-pounds) who has made 10 saves this season and only allowed 3 goals against him.   Dawson and the Butler backline have done a solid job all season stopping opponents and keep the scores very low.  USF, on the other hand, has struggled to get shots through in the first half and has relied on late second half rallies to get goals and sneak away with wins.  The Bulls need to come out in this game, dictate the pace, score early and take care of business before they face Akron on Sunday night (huge game).