CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
BOX SCORE
FRISCO, Texas – It took 110 minutes of action under the Texas sun, and finally penalty kicks to decide it, with USF winning the inaugural American Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Championship Title. The Bulls, who entered the postseason as the No. 5 seed in the Championship, defeated UConn 6-5 on penalty kicks after the game was scoreless through regulation and two overtime sessions. After a dramatic conclusion, the Bulls took home the title from the Lone Star State.
The Huskies controlled momentum for much of the first half. UConn had a couple of chances early, including two good opportunities in front of the net for Cyle Larin. The freshman, who leads UConn in scoring this season, had an open look at the goal from just inside the box, and later had a header attempt off a cross from Jacob Nerwinski. USF goalkeeper Brentton Muhammad kept the Bulls in the game by making some key saves.
UConn had the overall edge in the first half, as they forced Muhammad to make five saves, outshooting the Bulls 6-2 overall. USF did not record a shot on goal in the first stanza.
In the second half, the Huskies again buzzed around the Bulls net in the early going. Larin nearly connected on a heading attempt off a long cross in the 51
st minute, Mamadou Doudou Diouf sent a long shot on net that was deflected away by Muhammad in the 57
th minute, and Nicolas Zuniga had a try turned aside in the 60
th minute. Another header, this one by Edir DaGraca, sailed just wide in the 66
th minute as UConn kept the pressure on.
USF had an opportunity late in regulation, setting up a corner kick in the 87
th minute. Nikola Paunic sent a header towards the UConn net, but it sailed over the crossbar. The Bulls continued to pressure late, but could not get anything on net with a corner in the waning seconds, and the finals headed into overtime.
The first overtime period was fairly even, as neither side created any strong chances. In the second overtime, USF had a chance with a free kick, but sent it wide of the goal. After 110 minutes, the teams remained scoreless, and headed to penalty kicks to determine the winner.
In penalty kicks, the teams were tied 4-4 after the first five rounds. UConn’s Andre Blake made a big save on Edwin Moalosi on the Bulls’ final attempt to extend the shootout. Blake then stopped USF’s Isaiah Ferguson to give UConn a chance to win, but his counterpart in Brentton Muhammad was up to the task and stoned Nicolas Zuniga. With the PK’s tied 5-5, Andre Blake stopped Bulls defender Nikola Paunic, putting it up to George Fochive. Again the goalkeeper came up large, as Muhammad turned aside Fochives’ attempt and extended the penalty kicks again. Up stepped midfielder Duane Muckette, and he powered one home to again put the Bulls in front 6-5. Kwame Awuah strode to the line to try and continue the shootout, but Muhammad made his third consecutive save to seal the title for the Bulls.
USF earns the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and will be making their seventh straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The full NCAA field for men’s soccer will be announced at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time during the selection show on NCAA.com. In addition to USF, Louisville, UConn, UCF and Temple are under consideration for at large bids.
For more highlights and information from the 2013 Men's Soccer Championship, be sure to visit TheAmerican.org, specifically the Championship Central page at www.TheAmerican.org/MSOCCER.
American Athletic Conference Championship Awards
Most Outstanding Offensive Player
Edwin Moalosi, USF
Most Outstanding Defensive Player
Brentton Muhammad, USF
American Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team
Omar Vallejo, UCF, MF
Adria Beso, UConn, MF
Andre Blake, UConn, GK
Sergio Campbell, UConn, D
Cyle Larin, UConn, F
David Greczek, Rutgers, GK
Samuel Hosseini, USF, MF
Edwin Moalosi, USF, F
Brentton Muhammad, USF, GK
Duane Muckette, USF, MF
Stiven Salinas, USF, F