The Oracle THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2014 I VOL. 52 NO. 19
The Index
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
State of the university Homecoming
Inside this Issue
to feature rapper T.I.
LI F ESTYLE
Art exhibit explores the abstract. Page 5
Montage
USF President Judy Genshaft made her 14th annual Fall Address at the Marshall Student Center Oval Theater on Wednesday afternoon. ORACLE PHOTO / SEBASTIAN CONTENTO SP O RTS Wisconsin has few flaws for Bulls to exploit. BACK
USF President Judy Genshaft discusses awards, plans for new Andros and possibility of moving Morsani.
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By Alex Rosenthal E D I T O R
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C H I E F
Whether it be the USF’s recordsetting accomplishments in fun-
draising or research grants, the university’s plans to rebuild the Andros area of campus or any other of the successes of the campus over the past year, USF President Judy Genshaft had a lot to talk about Wednesday. At her 14th annual fall address in the Oval Theater, Genshaft spoke of the university’s commitment to excellence, highlights of the year and plans for next year. “The laser-like focus of our Strategic Plan has been extremely beneficial in this era that demands high performance and accountability,” she said. “We have a great
privilege — and a great responsibility — to build the best university system possible for those who depend on us.” By the numbers Genshaft announced the USF System had the highest amount of research grants and contracts in school history, totaling more than $428 million over the last academic year. “This is an absolutely phenomenal achievement, a nearly $15 million increase over the year before,”
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Rumors around campus were confirmed Wednesday night when members of the Center for Student Involvement officially announced rapper T.I. will perform at this year’s Homecoming. Best known for his hits “Whatever You Like,” “Live Your Life” and “Big Things Poppin,’” as well as his show on VH1 “T.I. and Tiny: The Family Hustle,” T.I. will perform at the Homecoming after-party on Oct. 10, with an opener by DJ TWRK. At Wednesday’s Movies on the Lawn event, it was also announced that comedian Jo Koy will be featured at the Oct. 7 Stampede Comedy Show in the Sun Dome. Homecoming week kicks off Oct. 6 and ends Oct. 11 when the Bulls face East Carolina at Raymond James Stadium. The week will also include an oncampus carnival, a parade, the Homecoming Ball and the women’s soccer game against UCF. For more information about Homecoming festivities, visit homecoming.usf.edu.
Floridians question state education system By Wesley Higgins N E W S
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Floridians are concerned about the effectiveness and cost of Florida’s public education system, according to new data from the USF College of Arts and Sciences and Nielsen. The quality of education in Florida, both in primary schools and in universities, was the focus of the latest 2014 Sunshine State Survey release Tuesday. Survey Director Susan
MacManus said the lead question, generated by students in her Media and Politics class, is whether the Florida education system prepares students well for today’s global economy. “Students are not going to be able to compete unless they’re skilled,” she said. “It’s the world we live in today.” While 55 percent of those surveyed said the state’s educational system is moderately successful, only nine percent said Florida is very effective in preparing students for today’s complex international
economy. “It’s not the kind of picture you really want,” MacManus said. According the survey, the higher a person’s education or the closer a person lives to an urban area, the less likely they are to rate Florida students as globally competitive. “The very areas that have a concentration of immigrants and businesses engaged in international commerce are the ones saying we’re not very successful,” she said. Paul Dosal, the vice provost
for student success at USF, said students concerned about a world economy should consider studying abroad to get an international perspective. “If you can’t go overseas, you can study languages right here at home,” he said. “That’s one of the most important tools a student can acquire.” Regarding the overall quality of Florida’s state colleges and universities, 71 percent of respondents rated it as good or excellent. People more likely to rate Florida universi-
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Parking, noisy Library discussed at Town Hall meeting By Nataly Capote A S S T .
Student Government hears students voice concerns at the town hall meeting in the Marshall Student Center on Wednesday. ORACLE PHOTO / ADAM MATHIEU
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Students had the opportunity to voice their grievances directly to their representatives at a Student Government (SG) town hall meeting Wednesday night. Among the topics discussed by the roughly 20 students in attendance were housing, safety, parking and the improvement of certain locations on campus. The event was held in the Marshall Student Center (MSC). On the topic of parking, students spoke strongly about spaces in lots at USF Health; one student even said he skips class because he can’t find a parking spot. SG Chief Justice Sammy Hamed said Parking and Transportation Services (PATS) is taking care of allocating more spots for students. “Every year, PATS looks at the demographics of new students and they reallocate the number of S, R and E spots,” Hamed said. “(They) will re-appropriate those parking lots to make sure that there are going to be more student spots in the upcoming years.” Hamed also said SG’s judicial branch is hosting a parking forum Oct. 1, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the MSC Amphitheatre, for stu-
dents to express more concerns related to parking. President of USF’s Young Americans for Liberty Katharine Orr, a senior majoring in political science and biomedical science, spoke at the meeting about the Library being too noisy to study, even on the upper-level floors. “It’s becoming more and more apparent that our Library is not sufficient to serve all of our academic needs,” Orr said. “The Library is too packed and too loud to get anything done. We have a soundproof gaming room but not soundproof study rooms.” Other housing issues were discussed, including mailroom efficiency and printing access. SG representatives said they would discuss these problems and SG President Jean Cocco said he would look into possibly re-allocating space to better meet student needs. They also encouraged students to come out to future town hall meetings and openly discuss any problems they think might be affecting students. Students are invited to voice their parking issues at the forum next Wednesday. A suggestion box was also added to the front of the Student Government Offices on the fourth floor of the MSC on Wednesday.
A labor of love brings grandmother’s princess to life By McKenna Scope C O R R E S P O N D E N T
If you had to watch your newborn granddaughter cling to life, hooked up to tubes in a glass incubator, what would you promise to give if she could only survived? Michele Hicks, the front desk coordinator of the USF Physical Therapy Center, honored the survival of her two granddaughters by writing a children’s book series titled Princess Pie. “This was a true labor of love,” she said. The series is dedicated to the strength of her granddaughters, Aniya and Aunika, who were born prematurely and spent significant time in neonatal intensive care (NICU). The first book, published earlier this year, follows Princess Pie and her struggles with vision impairment, an inability to speak, sei-
zures and hip dysplasia caused by severe cerebral palsy. “She is the happiest little girl, despite all the challenges and the things that she has faced. She comes out of a seizure smiling,” Hicks said. The idea for the book came from a poem Hicks wrote for Aniya, who weighed 1 pound and 8 ounces at birth, in admiration of her will to survive. After the premature birth of another of her granddaughters, Aunika, Hicks adapted the poem into a full book series that expanded the plot to include characters based on both granddaughters. Hicks said the idea hit her as she watched 14-month-old Aunika feeding Aniya crackers on a car trip. Thus, Aniya was transformed into Princess Pie and Aunika became Szeja, the caregiver. Though Hicks said the story only took an hour to write, the effort to
self-publish the final product was time-consuming and expensive. “I now know that I have to get those other books done, and I have to take the time to invest in myself,” she said. “I wish I hadn’t put it off as long as I did, but I’m glad I didn’t give up this time.” Hicks said writing was always a passion. Her first attempt at writing novels was in 1990, but she put off completing her ideas due to the difficulties that came from trying to publish while also being a single parent. To stay motivated, Hicks said she kept the advice of James Tokley, Tampa’s poet laureate, close to heart: “To be a great author, you have to be a master storyteller.” But Hicks said it was also the joy she saw her granddaughters feel when they read the first drafts of Princess Pie. “(Aunika) was screaming in the tub, ‘My Nana’s an author,’” she
said, laughing. Balancing work and her writing was a challenge, but Hicks said it was something she did for her granddaughters, herself and any parent in need of hope. Cerebral palsy is the most common motor disability in children, affecting 0.4 percent of all newborns, and is more likely in premature births, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ashley Solberg, a neonatal intensive care unit nurse at Tampa General Hospital, said it is fairly common for babies to spend their first days in the NICU. “Most of the time, it is a result of the delivery and from being without oxygen for a length of time,” she said. For families dealing with complications from birth, Hicks said patience and determination are key. She also stressed the impor-
tance of a supportive environment and not delaying medical treatment. Hicks said she also hopes the book exposes healthy children to a different perspective. Her wish, she said, is for parents to share her story with their children and show them another way of living. “Kids with challenges … are just like them. They want some of the same things,” Hicks said. “I want people to be able to use that book to introduce their kids to … a different view of the normal world.” All four books in the Princess Pie series are written, and Hicks’ next book is set to publish some time in spring. For aspiring writers, Hicks said her advice is to write what is in your heart and don’t give up. “Get started. Don’t think you can’t afford to invest in yourself,” she said. “Believe in your dream, even if no one else does.”
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she said. Another university record was set by the Unstoppable campaign, which raised $113 million since last year. Last year, the USF Foundation raised the campaign’s goal to $1 billion. According to the campaign’s website, more than $790.9 million has been raised so far. USF Research and Innovation also set a record creating 113 new patents, 91 new licenses and 11 new startup companies. Last year, USF ranked second in the State University System in performance-based funding and this year USF moved up nine spots on the U.S. News and World Report Best Colleges Rankings. Moving Morsani? The Morsani College of Medicine was a topic Genshaft brought up later in her speech, but one that seemed to grab the attention of the entire audience. “We are currently exploring various options to determine the optimal location for our facility as USF Health continuously strives to strengthen its connections to
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the wider Tampa Bay community,” Genshaft said. While Genshaft said USF Health needs to grow on campus, according to a recent article in the Tampa Tribune, USF is considering building a new building for the Morsani College of Medicine and is considering construction either downtown or on-campus, which some consider especially with new construction starting on the USF Health Heart Institute. “I want to be absolutely clear: Whatever decision is made about the location of the future USF Health facilities, it does not mean that USF Health is leaving the Tampa campus,” Genshaft said. She said USF remains committed to continuing close work with the Hayley Veterans Hospital, the Moffitt Cancer and Reasearch Institute, the Florida Hospital and Shriners Hospitals for Children “who all value our close proximity.” “The Carol and Frank Morsani Center for Advanced Healthcare will absolutely continue to be a facility where thousands of patients receive the highest quality care each year,” she said. “… With more than 450 doctors in the USF Physicians Group and the continuing demand for high quality
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Lifestyle
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
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Students make sense of art in upcoming exhibit By Stephen Shuler C O R R E S P O N D E N T
The subject or purpose of an abstract painting is not always clear. It is up to the viewer to make sense of the work and find its meaning. “Making Sense” will open Friday at 7 p.m. in the USF Contemporary Art Museum and will run through Dec. 12. “Part of ‘Making Sense’ is you making sense as you’re working on a painting,” said Margaret Miller, a co-curator of the exhibit and the director for the USF Institute for Research in Art. “You make decisions … about color, shape, image, quality or line. All of these artists will be pushing at the boundaries for what we
understand painting to be.” The exhibit will feature paintings and prints that force viewers to make their own interpretations. “The experience of the show coming up is less about what we tend to think of as ideas or concepts,” said Megan Voeller, an associate curator of education. “I think there is a deeper invitation to really look and encounter the works.” The exhibit will feature the work of artists Rochelle Feinstein, Deborah Grant, Iva Gueorguieva and Dona Nelson. Each of their works will utilize a different technique and approach to the medium, including cloth-layering and unique dual-sided paintings. “Some of these paintings
are really incredible, and that’s exactly the same kind of feeling I hope some students walk away with,” Voeller said. “I think seeing that kind of role model can be a transformative experience for some students.” “Making Sense” will also include new works by Gueorguieva, Feinstein and the printmaking and sculpture studio at Graphicstudio, a 45-year-old artist collaboration from the Institute for Research in Art. A panel of the artists will be held at 6 p.m. at the USF School of Music Barness Recital Hall before the exhibit opens Friday.
“Making Sense” will open Friday in the USF Contemporary Art Museum. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY WILL LYTCH OF GRAPHICSTUDIO
Opinion
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
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Student debt racial divide must be addressed are completely ruled out. In a post-collegiate setting, the majority of frequent social interactions then tend to be categorized by those in similar income brackets or social strata. While this won’t necessarily lead to all-out “class warfare,” this makes social mobility incredibly difficult and further compounds the growing income inequality problem in the U.S. When race is added to the mixture, it poses an ominous threat to a child’s future in the U.S., depending on their race. When affirmative action for admissions faces such heated debate, finding a solution based in equality, but that helps level the economic playing field for all races, is sure to be met by noisy critics. What is clear, however, is that the discrepancy must be addressed.
Despite all the progress made in the years since the peak of the Civil Rights era, an alarming report released by the Gallup Poll reveals there is still more progress that needs to be made. The report, released this month, stated 50 percent of black students graduate with more than $25,000 in student loan debt compared to only 34 percent of their white counterparts. This gap has remained virtually unchanged for the past 40 years. The report further revealed recent black graduates reported being “financially
thriving” at a rate far lower than their white counter parts. While it may seem that this discrepancy is merely a reflection of greater societal problems, addressing it could indeed be the ticket to ending cycles of the economic and social stratification of race in society. On its own, the student loan debt crisis, which is affecting an increasing number of college graduates, has the potential to be one of the most debilitating social crises of recent times. Scarier still are the immense social consequences of the impact of entering the post-collegiate world as a young adult with a knapsack weighed down by the rocks of tuition and fees. These penalties define future opportunities not only in terms of the types of opportunities one is forced to seek to make ends meet, but they also define the social milieu one will land in. In some cases, opportunities for pursuing further education and thus opportunities to rise within a career
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the University of South Florida’s student newspaper since 1966
Divya Kumar COLU M N I ST
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What you said Multimedia editor Adam Mathieu asked students what they would like to see in the new Andros village, which is scheduled to be complete by 2017 according to USF President Judy Genshaft.
“I would love to see more color with the buildings and the plant life. It’s very dull right now.” — Miguel Diago, a freshman majoring in psychology
“More outside seating that has tables and looks nice and not old.“ — Robert Henson, a freshman majoring in business
Divya Kumar is a senior majoring in mass communications and economics.
“It would be nice to have an ice machine or maybe have a restaurant on this side of campus where I can grab some decent food late at night.”
The Oracle is published Monday through Thursday during the fall and spring semesters, and twice weekly, Monday and Thursday, during the summer.
— Elizabeth Maderas, a junior majoring in creative writing
The Oracle allocates one free issue to each student. Additional copies are $.50 each and available at the Oracle office (SVC 0002).
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“It would be convenient if the buildings had bathrooms in the first floor lobby areas.” — Cynthia Colin, a freshman majoring in biomedical science
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EDUCATION
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ties as excellent were those fully employed, those with incomes of $75,000 and higher or those living in North Florida. When asked the most serious situation today’s college and university graduates face, 35 percent said a lack of wellpaying jobs and 28 percent said debt. Parents reported being more worried about the job prospects of their kids, while young adult minorities and the unemployed were more concerned with debt. Older respondents and the higher educated were also more likely to think students don’t graduate college with enough applicable skills. “These are people in the workplace who are observing skills that are not in place by the time they are ready to hire or interview some of these college graduates,” MacManus said. Dosal said he believes a bachelor’s degree still has
value, both as an investment with monetary return and as a path to personal growth. “There’s been a lot of talk recently about the value of higher education, but I’ve seen nothing to deter me,” he said. “I think it’s still all worth the effort we put into it.” When asked whether tuitions rates are too high, 57 percent of respondents said they believe it is. Though, compared to 23 percent from the 2012 Sunshine State Survey, 28 percent now see tuition costs as about right. MacManus said the increased tolerance is due to lower tuition rates in recent years. “The change in tuition rates have hit home and people are starting to notice it,” she said. “If there’s people who noticed that, it’s definitely college students and their parents.” On whether Bright Futures should be based on financial need or solely on achievement, responses were about evenly split. Women, African Americans, middle income homes and those with incomplete college
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healthcare all across our community, there is room for us to grow without taking away from what currently exists.” A new Andros Genshaft also gave a timeline for the long-term project to renovate the Andros residential area on campus. By 2017, she said “a new campus village” will be complete, replacing more than 1,000 beds that will be home to 2,000 students and retail outlets through a publicprivate partnership. “This partnership is the first of its kind for our campus and, when it comes to fruition, will add to the quality of life on the Tampa campus as an exciting destination that gathers bright, energetic, creative and ambitious people to live, work and play in a center of learning and innovation,” she said.
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degrees were more likely to say financial need should be considered along with academic achievement. Males, Hispanics, college graduates and the wealthy were more likely say the scholarship should only be based on achievement. Many of the survey questions also revolved around the quality of elementary and middle schools. Only 48 percent rated local public schools as good or excellent, compared to the 71 percent who positively rated higher education. Though the survey was also meant to benefit Florida’s educational and business leaders, MacManus said it should be a wakeup call for policy makers going into the November elections. “These questions are very timely and reflect what is on the mind of Floridians,” she said. “People are increasingly identifying education as a major issue, if not the major issue facing the state of Florida.”
Successful legislation Also highlighted at the address was the recent legislative session that Genshaft called “easily one of our most successful legislative sessions in a decade.” The top priorities for USF in the legislative session, which were all approved, included $15 million in funding for construction of the USF Health Heart Institute, $10 million for the USF St. Pete College of Business and $5 million in recurring funds for the establishment of the Florida Center for Cybersecurity at USF, which is housed on the top floor of the Interdisciplinary Sciences building. Other priorities approved by the state was $1.4 million in recurring funds for the STEM programs at USF Sarasota-Manatee and in-state tuition rates for U.S. military veterans. “Quite simply, the USF System is thriving like never before,” she said. A complete transcript of Genshaft speech can be found at usf.edu/news.
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Classifieds UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
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yards on 39 carries, including 38 yards on 17 carries from Gordon. Sanchez, the play caller for the defense, said he’s looking forward to playing the Badgers because they don’t employ a spread offense. “Nothing’s better than a 300-pound lineman coming at you and you can just blast him, blow him up and make a tackle or have a linebacker next to you make a tackle,” Sanchez said. “I like the physical play.” Stopping the running game is a tall task for the Bulls, but they could have success if they force McEvoy into making hurried throws. Through the first three games of the season, McEvoy has thrown four interceptions. In a loss against LSU, he made only eight completions and was intercepted twice. Coincidentally, the Bulls have put an added emphasis on creating turnovers. They have forced 11 this season, including four interceptions, and will likely need
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to create several more to keep the Bulls’ inconsistent offense in contention. While the Bulls’ defense will have their hands full with Wisconsin’s power offense, the Bulls’ offense will have to score early and often to keep up. But the Bulls are less concerned with keeping up and more concerned with playing to the best of their abilities. “We have to go play our game,” offensive coordinator Paul Wulff said. “We have to do the best we can do and focus on ourselves. We’re not too caught up on what they can do on offense. It’s really, ‘What can we do?’” But to compete with the Badgers, USF will likely have to establish the running game early. “The better we can run the ball, the better opportunity we have,” Wulff said. USF is 2-0 this season when ever they have a player rush for over 100 yards and Wisconsin is 0-1 when they allowed a player to rush for 100 yards. But kick starting the running game against Wisconsin may present a challenge.
In the only game that Wisconsin allowed at least 100 yards rushing, they held LSU to only 16 rushing yards and six first downs in the first half. Outside linebacker Joe Schobert leads the Badgers in tackles for loss (5) to go along with his 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. The players that make up the rest of the linebackers unit are Marcus Trotter and Derek Landisch. Trotter leads all linebackers with 20 tackles and is second only to safety Michael Caputo (21). Landisch has recorded four tackles for loss along with two sacks. “The number one thing that sticks out at you is they play extremely hard and they’re versatile,” Wulff said. “They can get to the quarterback when needed and they’re very strong in the support from their secondary in the run game.” These linebackers, along with Caputo, have led the Badger defense to an impressive start of the season. USF will have to find a way to run through them or will be left to suffer a fate similar to Western Illinois and Bowling Green.
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Football
Wisconsin presents Bulls’ toughest challenge By Vinnie Portell S P O R T S
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When the Bulls look up to the stands Saturday in Madison, Wisconsin, they’ll see an alltoo-familiar sight: a sea of red. The red at Camp Randall Stadium will be comprised of Badger fans who nearly fill the stadium each week with an average attendance of 77,987 this season, rather than the empty red seats that Bulls players are accustomed to at Raymond James Stadium. But instead of being intimidated to face a team that leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing yards, the Bulls say this is just like any other away game. “Obviously, the stakes are a little bit higher because we’re playing Wisconsin, a ranked team, and that could really boost the morale of this team. It’s a business trip,” redshirt freshman Auggie Sanchez said. But this isn’t just any other opponent for the Bulls.
Wisconsin will come into Saturday’s game fresh off a 68-17 win over Bowling Green during which it set a Big Ten modern-era record for its 644 rushing yards. The Badgers’ unrivaled rushing attack features three players with over 200 rushing yards, including Heisman candidate Melvin Gordon, who has 431 yards and six touchdowns. Part of what makes their running game so successful is dual-threat quarterback Tanner McEvoy. The junior quarterback has had success in both the passing and running games this year, throwing for 445 yards and four touchdowns to go along with 253 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. But despite Wisconsin’s accomplishments in the running game this season, the running backs have shown they can be stopped. Against Western Illinois, the Badgers rushed for 167
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USF’s defense has forced 11 turnovers this season and will need to continue that trend Saturday against the Badgers. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU
Men’s Soccer
Bulls ready for AAC foe By Jacob Hoag A S S T .
S P O R T S
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Coming off a 2-1 loss against No. 8 Washington on Sunday, the USF men’s soccer team travels to Connecticut to take on preseason AAC champion favorite UConn for its conference opener. The defending AAC champion Bulls will have to be on their toes from the first as UConn scores fast and often – nine of their 12 goals have come in the first half. UConn’s crowd will also be a factor in Saturday’s game. USF’s average home attendance is 836 whereas the Huskies usually draw 3,849. “Going to Connecticut is a blast for any college player because they get great crowds
and they play good soccer, so we look forward to them,” coach George Kiefer said. The matchup to watch will be USF senior forward Lucas Baldin and Huskies’ redshirt junior goalkeeper Jacob Wagmeister. Baldin has three goals, including one game-winner. Wagmeister has 34 saves for the Huskies, placing him second in the AAC. “I’m definitely looking forward to the Connecticut game; it’s going to be a good battle,” Baldin said. “We’re away and in our first conference game, so we have to have our heads up and give it everything we’ve got.” Though their 2-4-1 record might not show it, UConn has been a dominant team in the AAC, ranking in the top two in
points (35), goals (12) and assists (11) this season. This success has come partly because of their head coach, Ray Reid, who is the NCAA active leader in wins with 394. With Reid, UConn has won eight regular season Big East titles and has never won less than nine games. USF has been able to provide consistent offense, scoring multiple goals in three of their six games. This productive offense comes from their ability to create shots. USF has taken 93 shots so far, which ranks them fifth in the AAC. The Bulls (3-3) and Huskies (2-4-1) tied in both meetings last season with 1-1 and 0-0 draws. The two teams square off at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium on Saturday at 7 p.m.
USF won its last match against UConn on penalty kicks (6-5) to win the AAC championship. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU