TAMPA, FLA. (8/30/18) -- The University of Detroit Mercy women's soccer team dropped a road contest to the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla. on Thursday evening.

The Titans fell behind early when the Bulls converted on a quick counterattacking opportunity in just the second minute of the match.

Sophomore Kelli Doyle placed the Titans first shot on goal in the seventeenth minute and fellow sophomore Rachel Russo subbed on in the 30th minute and nearly made an immediate impact, ringing the crossbar with a header off of a set piece sent into the box by goalkeeper Marina Manzo.

USF doubled their lead just two minutes before halftime, giving them a 2-0 lead at the halfway mark.

The red, white and blue were overpowered in the second half, giving up another pair of goals and dropping the contest by a score of 4-0.

The Titans will finish up their trip to Florida with a match against Stetson University on Sunday at 1 p.m.


First Half:

• USF scored early in the match in only the second minute
• Manzo stood on her head in the first half, making big saves in the seventh, twenty second, fortieth and forty first minutes to minimize the damage
• Fiorido made a huge 1v1 tackle on top of the box at 29:00 mark to keep the score 1-0
• Sophie Mapes & Russo checked on for Nasreen Kobeissi and Ana Ginez in the thirtieth minute
• USF doubled their lead at the 43' mark
• Manzo posted four saves in the first half

Second Half:

• The Bulls tacked on their third goal in the 54' and the fourth came in the 61'
•  Manzo made another great save in the 66'
• Doyle had another shot on goal in the 89', but the Bulls keeper was up to the challenge

Game Notes:

• USF reached the NCAA tournament last year and won a game against Florida Gulf Coast University, before falling to University of Florida
• The Titans were out shot by a total of 13-1
• Manzo posted nine saves in the game, her highest since she had nine at Pittsburgh last season