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Soccer Team Has No Worries

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By BRETT McMURPHY | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 3, 2008

TAMPA - University of South Florida men's soccer coach George Kiefer couldn't help but laugh the other day.

Kiefer and his staff were discussing the Bulls' upcoming match at defending national champion and No. 1 seed Wake Forest (20-1-1) in the NCAA's Elite Eight on Saturday.

"They're good at everything," Kiefer said. "We were kind of laughing at that."

But being so good can have its drawbacks, and the eighth-seeded Bulls (15-4-3) are hoping to take advantage of that.

"I do think they have a ton of pressure on them," Kiefer said. "Wake is the single team that everyone predicts as this year's national champions. It's not just one person, it's anyone that knows college soccer is talking about them winning it."

Kiefer wouldn't have it any other way. He enjoys that his Big East champions are the decided underdogs.

"The closer we can get to the end of the game and keep the game close, the tighter they're going to get," said Kiefer, 79-42-16 in seven seasons at USF. "For us, what do we have to lose at this point?

"There's not a person in the country that thinks we can go to Wake and win - with the exception of our team. We'll go play good soccer and see where that takes us."

FLORIDA FOUR BATTLE: A college baseball doubleheader featuring USF vs. Miami and Florida vs. Florida State will be held March 2, 2010 and March 1, 2011 at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees.

"It's going to be a great night for college baseball in Tampa," USF coach Lelo Prado said. "It should be a College World Series atmosphere, with four great teams."

Rob Higgins, Executive Director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, said he hopes this is an event that could remain "in the community for a long time."

"We've been working with the Yankees for quite some time to bring another premier event to our community," Higgins said. "To have the 'Big Four' to start the season here is truly monumental."

THE STREAK IS OVER: For the first time in its last 19 games against Division I-A opponents, USF will not be favored Saturday. USF's streak as a favorite was the nation's second-longest current streak behind Oklahoma, favored in its last 31 games.

While the Bulls, who were 11-8 in that 19-game stretch, are seven-point underdogs at West Virginia on Saturday, that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Bulls have won their last three as an underdog - in 2007 against West Virginia and at Auburn, and in 2006 at West Virginia.

ODDS AND ENDS: USF's four consecutive bowls is tied with Rutgers (if it beats Louisville on Thursday) for the Big East's second-longest current streak (West Virginia has locked up a seventh consecutive bowl). ... Freshman QB B.J. Daniels said he will not practice for the upcoming bowl and will join the basketball team Friday. A guard, Daniels will travel to Saturday's basketball game at UCF, but he will not play. He will begin practicing with the basketball team Monday.

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