AKRON, Ohio - South Florida junior Yohance Marshall entered the NCAA Soccer Tournament as a prime defender and not much of a scorer.
He had only one goal during the regular season, but after two postseason games, Marshall's role in the offense has increased dramatically.
For the second consecutive NCAA Tournament game, a goal by Marshall lifted the Bulls to victory. Wednesday night, Marshall scored in the second overtime as USF defeated Akron 1-0 at Lee Jackson Field before a crowd of 1,059.
Marshall scored his third goal of the season out of a wild scrum in the 102nd minute.
Marshall chested the ball into the net off a free kick by senior midfielder Simon Schoendorf, setting off a massive Bulls celebration in the 35-degree weather.
"Their goalkeeper punched the ball out, and it went into my chest," said Marshall, a captain who also scored in USF's 2-1 win over Colgate in the first round. "I chested the ball in. My initial reaction was relief, we made the Sweet 16 and to get somewhere warm."
The Bulls (14-5-2) will play at Big East rival Connecticut in the third round on Saturday or Sunday. UConn defeated Vermont 2-0 Wednesday. UConn beat USF twice this season, 2-1 and 2-0.
"My first priority is to not let the opponent score," Marshall said. "I was able to go forward, help the offense out and be at the right place at the right time."
This is the second time the Bulls have ended a season for the Zips (15-4-2). USF defeated Akron 2-1 in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
Akron had a 10-4 advantage in shots on goal and a 17-8 advantage in total shots.
"Akron is one of the better attacking teams in the country," USF coach George Kiefer said. "They obviously had the ball a lot. We handled their pressure very well and we were able to win."
Bulls freshman goalkeeper Diego Restrepo had 10 saves.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement
Advertisement