The unbeaten streak for Miami soccer ended on Thursday night at Corbett Soccer Stadium, as the Hurricanes were defeated 2-0 by the South Florida (USF) Bulls.
The ‘Canes looked like a shell of themselves during the match. They registered only three shots the entire match, none of which were on target.
“The entire team is disappointed in that, of course,” Miami head coach Sarah Barnes said. “These are the lessons we have to experience.”
The nightmare began right at the match’s start, with USF showing disciplined possession on the Miami side of the field throughout the beginning of the match. The Bulls had 10 shots compared to Miami’s zero in the first half.
Defensive discipline was somewhat of an issue for the Hurricanes as well. A majority of their seven total fouls came in the first half. Yellow cards were given to sophomore defender Claire Llewelyn, sophomore midfielder Jordan Felton and freshman forward Megan Morgan.
The first goal was scored in the opening half, as well. USF junior defender Lucy Roberts headed the ball into the net from a corner kick that was placed perfectly by freshman forward Gentiana Fetaj. The corner kick was one of the nine that Miami allowed throughout the match.
Miami’s keeper, senior Melissa Dagenais, was not able to keep out the shot. Dagenais had two saves on the evening while allowing the two goals to be scored.
“Even though we didn’t come out well in the first half, we completed and created a number of chances,” Barnes said. “We saw a lot of positives in this defeat and sometimes you have to go through these things to be better prepared.”
The second half looked more promising for the ‘Canes, as they possessed the ball more and had opportunities to score. They held USF to four shots in the second half while creating three of their own. Miami had most of the possession and a majority of that came in their attacking third.
However, when all was looking up for Miami, USF sophomore midfielder Chiara Hahn hit a bullet of a shot from a free kick about 30 yards out into the top corner, taking out the Hurricanes’ hopes of winning.
Thursday’s game was the last non-conference game for the Hurricanes, who start their Atlantic Coast Conference play away from home at Louisville on Sept. 17. The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Lynn Family Stadium.