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Table of Contents Grounded in Cuba ..................................... 3 WOW: Free food ........................................... 8 Taking over Target ..................................... 10 Crossword .................................................... 16 Opinion ........................................................ 18 Cuts to performance-based funding ....... 20 Classifieds .................................................... 25 Taggart shields criticism with positivity . 26 Bulls capture Rowdies Cup .................. 28
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USF student stranded in Cuba for lack of health care By Grace Hoyte E D I T O R
I N
C H I E F
Just hours into her family visit to Cuba, USF student Barbara Jimenez found herself in the center of a taxi crash that took the life of the driver and seriously injured her boyfriend and family. Jimenez’s boyfriend, John Fox, was airlifted to Jacksonville days later to receive medical care in the U.S., but when her parents tried to get the same treatment for her, the 22-year-old’s lack of health care coverage meant her parents would have to pay tens of thousands of dollars to get her back. Jimenez currently remains stranded in Cuba until she recovers. The family and friends of Barbara Jimenez have been forced to find a way to bring their daughter back to the U.S. from Cuba, which is only 90 miles away from the Florida Keys. Her sister, Caridad Jimenez, said she heard about the accident the day it happened, and she arrived in Cuba the day after. When she arrived, her sister was in a coma and could only breath because she had received an emergency tracheotomy. Jimenez remained in a coma for five days and was unable to speak for several days. Recently, she regained the ability to speak and Caridad is encouraged by her improve-
ments. “She sounds so amazing; she’s able to talk clearly,” she said in a phone interview with The Oracle. “When I talked to her two or three days ago, when she regained her voice… her voice was thin and very weak and she wasn’t really making sense.” Jimenez suffered “severe head trauma,” but her sister said she did not have to receive an invasive procedure, like brain surgery. Because of her fragile condition, Jimenez has not been able to return to the U.S. by commercial airline, and none of the companies that her family have reached out to have been willing to airlift her for less than $50,000, according to her sister. Needless to say, Jimenez’s parents don’t have so much money to spend, so her sorority, Lambda Theta Alpha, created a crowd funding website to aid in the effort. “Bring Barbie Home,” proclaims a link on the Facebook page of USF’s Beta Gamma chapter of the sorority. Below it, the link to the GoFundMe page sports a photo of Jimenez and Fox. Though the goal is far from reached, both the sorority and Jimenez’s family will continue in the effort to bring the young woman home. As of Sunday evening, the GoFundMe page, available at gofundme.com/cjf87sdy, has raised more than $8,742.
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TARGET
Continued from PAGE 10
more about just hanging out with Gabby at Target … so the dance-off was an unexpected surprise,” Kerr said. Voltaire said he was able to get free posters at the event, as well bounce around from group to group while walking through the store. “I also got involved in a conversation with an OTL about fraternities and sororities, and she was piquing my interest with the information she was giving me,” he said. “I want to get some more information before I decline or join (a fraternity).” Kerr said she and Campbell stuck together the entire time throughout the event and decided to get some ice cream and
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soda before doing some backto-school shopping and picking up an auxiliary cord to enjoy music. Shortly after midnight, most students had left, and Target turned off its front lights, marking the end of another Target Takeover during WOW. Students who weren’t able to make it to the event will likely be able to go next year, however. Steinberg said while hosting the event is at the discretion of Target, it has become a pretty large event, and about 2,500 USF students showed up at last year’s Target Takeover. “This is my third year (doing Target Takeover),” she said. “It’s something that we can decide to do or not, but we’ve done it every year that we’ve had the opportunity to.”
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Lifestyle
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
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WOW: Free meals for your first week Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
• Graduate Student “Fresh” Start Office of Graduate Studies and Graduate and Professional Student Council ALN 209 Graduate Student Lounge 9-11 a.m. Coffee, juice and morning pastries
• Just What The Doctor Ordered Health Sciences Administration Team Social Sciences Building (SOC) 396, 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. Free pizza
• Destination: Chocolate The Chocolateers MSC 2709, 1-3 p.m. Free chocolate treats
• Hot Dog, You’re Back! Marshall Student Center MSC Amphitheater 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. Free hot dogs, chips and drinks
• Sigma Nu’s Welcome Back Pool Party Andros Pool 1-5 p.m.
• Wellness Center Open House USF Wellness Wellness Center 1-3 p.m. • Welcome Back BBQ Reformed University Fellowship Castor Lawn (RBC) 5-7 p.m. Pulled pork sandwiches and BBQ • Bulls Radio Block Party MSC Amphitheater, 7-9 p.m.
• CBCS Pizza Party Psychology & Communications Building (PCD) 3000 & College of Behavioral & Community Sciences atrium lobby 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. Free pizza • Welcome Business Bulls Muma College of Business Business Administration Building 2:45-6 p.m. • Student Alumni Association PAR-TAY USF Alumni Center ALC 100 5:30-7:30 p.m. • The Society of Women Engineers Cares You’re Here! MSC 2709, 6-8 p.m. Free Chick-Fil-A
• Blue Party Students with Diabetes MSC 2703 4-5:30 p.m. • BBQ Kickoff The Wesley Foundation USF Wesley Building (WFC-USF Sycamore Dr.) 6-8 p.m. Free BBQ • Back To School Southern BBQ Baptist Collegiate Ministries Baptist Student Center (BPT) 7-10 p.m. Free Southern-style BBQ • Share-A-Bull Pre-Launch Party Bull Market 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
• Sports Club Eat N’ Greet Sports Club Council Campus Recreation Center Lawn (Rain Site: North Gym), 11:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m. • Vegan Social SPEAK MSC 2709, 11:30 a.m. 1:30 p.m. • Footlongs With The Fraternities Interfraternity Council MSC 2709, 3:30-5 p.m. Free foot-long subs • Chi Alpha Pizza Taste-Off! MSC 2708, 6-8 p.m. Sample free pizzas from local pizza shops
• The Tim Burton Adventure With Team Bourton Team Burton MSC 3711, 7:30-10 p.m. • The Huddle Coach Taggart & The USF Football Team Corbett Soccer Stadium 7-8 p.m.
For the full WOW events brochure visit: newstudent. usf.edu/index. php/first-year/ wow
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USF students take over Target during WOW By Russell Nay A S S T .
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While many Week of Welcome (WOW) events will feature plenty of free food and entertainment, there is only one event that allows hundreds of USF students to have free rein over a department store at midnight. Groups of USF students lined up outside Target on Bruce B. Downs and Fletcher on Saturday night for after-hours shopping, a dance-off with a live DJ and giveaways during the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life’s Target Takeover. Ashley Steinberg, a human resources executive and team leader involved in organizing the event, said Target stores near universities originally decided to host the annual event in order to build customer
loyalty between the stores and their nearby on-campus college student populations. “UF has done it in the past … and UCF does it as well,” Steinberg said. “It’s fun for the students, and it’s actually really fun for the employees here, too.” Event listings and photos for Target Takeover can be found as far back as 2010, and Steinberg said the annual event could have made its debut as early as 2008. Erik Silvola, a graduate assistant in the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life, said the event is an opportunity for students to do some last-minute shopping before school starts, as well as gain more information about Greek life and talk to members from fraternities and sororities. While the event was scheduled to begin at 10:30 p.m.,
many students were already waiting to enter Target and had formed a line that filled the sidewalks of University Plaza and stretched around a large portion of the shopping center. Handdy Voltaire, a freshman majoring in cellular and molecular biology, said he came to the event simply to hang out and meet new people. “I knew there was going to be a massive amount of people from USF here, especially from the (WOW) events,” he said. Gabrielle Campbell, a freshman majoring in health science, said she and her friend Alicia Kerr, a freshman and exploratory student in USF’s TRAC program, decided to come to Target Takeover to enjoy what the event had to offer for students. “I think this event is a really good idea,” Campbell said. “We
can come to Target after-hours, and that’s awesome. I love how they have a DJ and a party scene in a store — it’s a good mix.” Other than shopping for school and dorm supplies, students at Target Takeover could also visit vendor tables set throughout the store for giveaways from Coca-Cola, Red Bull and Nintendo. Students who visited Nintendo’s table near Target’s electronics and games section could help themselves to video game posters, pins and trial codes, as well as play Nintendo games set up at the event. Red Bull set up a mobile video game station near the center of the store, complete with Xbox One consoles and a fridge fully stocked with Red Bull. Coca-Cola’s table at the front
of the store gave out free Coke and ice cream floats, as well as the prizes for Target Takeover’s dance competition. During the dance competition, students danced to songs like Bruno Mars’s “Uptown Funk” played by a live DJ, and whichever students were deemed to have the best moves by Target staff were given free Coca-Cola T-shirts and USF football tickets. Students not wishing to go head-to-head in a dance battle could also come by to dance the “Cha-Cha Slide” and “Cupid Shuffle” in groups. “The dance-off was really encouraging; it got everyone to step out of their comfort zone and just join in and have fun with everyone else,” Voltaire said. “For me, (coming here) was
n See TARGET on PAGE 7
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Opinion
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
the Oracle the University of South Florida’s student newspaper since 1966
Editor in Chief Grace Hoyte oracleeditor@gmail.com
Breanne Williams
The Class of 2019, though only a few years younger than the rest of the student body, grew up differSports Editor ently than many students before it. Jeff Odom Born around 1995, the new freshoraclesportseditor@gmail.com man class is missing out on several of the key events that distinguish Opinion Editor the older millennials’ childhoods, Breanne Williams and signals the end of a generation. oracleopinion@gmail.com Incoming freshmen can’t remember a different world Lifestyle Editor than their own. The Columbine Moneer Kheireddine Massacre took place when they oraclelifestyleeditor@gmail.com were 3 years old. They were in pre-K during the events of Sept. 11. Multimedia Editor They were fourth-graders when the Adam Mathieu housing bubble burst. While older millennials can recall the switch Digital Editor from optimism to stoicism, the Roberto Roldan youngest of the generation have shouldered these problems since Copy Editor early childhood. Safeena Kassoo In a 2012 study by J. Walter Thomas (JWT) Intelligence, 79 perAssistant Editors cent of younger millennials claimed Jacob Hoag to be worried about whether there Russell Nay will be decent jobs available for them after graduation. Sixty-six Graphic Artists percent were still concerned with Ashley Barzaga how their parents are functioning Luke Blankenship in the current economy, and 61 percent found themselves fretting Advertising Sales over the state Earth will be in when Lauren Alford they enter adulthood. Rachel Carpenter Fear and anxiety have plagued Abby Pereira this generation their entire lives and have molded them into the The Oracle is published Monday through Thursday career-minded, world focused indiduring the fall and spring semesters, and twice viduals they are today. weekly, Monday and Thursday, during the summer. At least, for a moment, older The Oracle allocates one free issue to each student. millennials lived in a carefree bubAdditional copies are $.50 each and available at the Oracle office (SVC 0002). ble. They faced a plethora of techBY PHONE nological advancements in a short period of time in their formative Main . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 974-6242 years. Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 974-5190 News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 974-1888 Millennials grew up in classSports ................ 974-2842 rooms with chalkboards instead of Lifestyle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 974-2398 Smart Boards. Playing outside was Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . 974-2620 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 974-6242 considered the norm, and indoor activities were saved for a rainy day. Website: usforacle.com Facebook: facebook.com/usforacle As technology advanced, so did Twitter: @USFOracle their interests. They embraced the creation of CORRECTIONS Game Boy and PlayStation and The Oracle will correct or clarify factual errors. Contact Editor in Chief Grace Hoyte at 974-5190.
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Class of 2019 ushers in end of a generation COLU M N I ST
Managing Editor Alex Rosenthal oraclemeditor@gmail.com
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bore witness to the transition from VHS to DVD. For many, this brisk evolution caused childhood to seem extended. They developed in the age of transition and have become the generation of nostalgia. However, this reminiscent lifestyle could be considered a blessing. Millennials grew up with Bill Nye and “Rugrats,” Britney Spears and Boyz II Men, Furby and Pokemon. They matured with Harry Potter, Magic Tree House, and Goosebumps. While many of those trends are staying where they belong — in the ‘90s — others have recently been making a comeback. Katy Perry rocked a duet with Missy Elliot at this year’s Super Bowl, Universal Studios just opened a new Harry Potter World expansion, and certain fashion trends like chokers and platform shoes are once again making an appearance. While it seems that some childhood memories are here to stay, it is important to remember there is an abundance of new trends arriving. Social media is forever redefining the definition of what is current, and the nearly instant gratification provided by such services as Amazon and Spotify has made adapting quite easy. It is time to put nostalgia on the shelf and welcome the new generation to college life. Though the age gap is small, the cultural differences are abundant. As the Class of 2019 and future freshmen continue to come to campus in future years, it is important to appreciate the cultural shift away from the ‘90s kids who grew up with cell phones as a luxury, toward the youngest millennials who have always had an iPhone and might not have had the delight of playing Snake on a flip phone. By finding a way to blend the optimistic nostalgia of older millennials with the eagerness of the younger class, we stand a chance at creating the perfect setting for causing real world change. Class of 2019, the floor is yours. Breanne Williams is a junior majoring in mass communications.
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What you said Opinion Editor Breanne Williams asked students which Week of Welcome event they were looking forward to most.
“I’m excited about the Lip Sync Battle. I’ve been looking forward to doing one for months since I saw it on Jimmy Fallon.” — Michael Rairick, a senior majoring in information technology
“Definitely the free school supplies event. I am always looking for free stuff and am in need of some things for school.” Hannah Troutman, a — freshman majoring in mass communications
“For me, it’s the RoundUp. I like them a lot. They are always really good and have a great turn out.” — Neshawn Falconer, a senior majoring in public health
“Movies On The Lawn is pretty cool. There is popcorn and a free movie, so I’m excited.” — Samantha Volmuth, a senior majoring in business management
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Performance-based funding gets $8 million cut By Russell Nay A S S T .
N E W S
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One way university officials can evaluate USF’s yearly success is its performance-based funding figure — a source of millions of dollars in funding determined by how well USF performs as a university. During June’s Board of Governors meeting, it was estimated that the USF system would receive approximately $23 million in performance-based funding — the second highest in the state following the University of Florida. However, the university received about $8 million less this year as the state Legislature cut a portion of the State University System’s recurring performance-based funding across all universities. In an email to The Oracle after his fall faculty address last week, USF Provost Ralph Wilcox said USF received a little more than $15 million. In total, the USF system received $15,078,135 in performancebased funding. Of that funding, Wilcox said, more than $13 million was allocated to the Tampa campus, $1 million went to the St. Petersburg campus and $570,220 was allocated to USF Sarasota-Manatee. From the amount allocated to USF Tampa, Wilcox said an initial $2 million was devoted to campus-
wide information technology infrastructure. Of the $11 million remaining, he said half was distributed to colleges within USF Health and Academic Affairs. This allocation was based on contributions to USF’s high rankings in performance metrics, such as graduation and retention rates, that the state uses to decide how much funding each university receives. “The better they performed, the more they received, in essence,” Wilcox said in an interview with The Oracle. He said the other half of the $11 million is being temporarily held in a pool of funds for later investment at the discretion of the provost and university president. “We haven’t made a decision on what those will be yet,” he said. According to Wilcox, this funding will likely be invested in academic areas that will help USF improve its performance-based metrics figures in future years. He said some of the main investments include retention programs to help keep students enrolled at USF, as well as student advising and career readiness programs. Wilcox said he also expects colleges to invest in additional professors. “That will mean that our students will find themselves in smaller, more intimate class settings, which we think is important, and
research shows is important, to student success,” he said. USF ranked second in this year’s performance-based funding, scoring 42 out of a possible 50 points of performance metrics. This is the third year in a row USF received a top ranking in performance funding, earning second place last year with $22.2 million, and tying for first with $2.6 million in the first year of the state’s performancebased funding model. Among other metrics, this year USF ranked high with 75 percent of graduates either employed or continuing their education, a median average wage of $35,200 for graduates within one-year of graduation, an average degree cost of $25,490 and a six-year graduation rate of 66 percent. UF, as the highest-performing school, was estimated to receive $30.6 million in new funding before the cuts in funding to the State University System. During his fall address, Wilcox also announced significant progress in USF’s open access digital textbooks program. He said the program, which would replace potentially costly hardcopy textbooks with more affordable e-textbooks, was introduced as a pilot last year and will be first introduced to students enrolled in professor Jennifer Schneider’s “Literature in Childhood Education” course.
“The cost of textbooks today is skyrocketing,” Wilcox said in an interview with The Oracle. “Such open-source electronic platforms provide for cost-effective access because, in essence, students won’t have to buy a textbook for their class.” Wilcox said open access e-textbooks will be in development this year for other courses through a partnership between the USF Library and Innovative Education. He said development will focus on undergraduate general education courses with high enrollment that require students to purchase costly textbooks. “We can’t help what (textbook) publishers are charging, but we do have a responsibility to keep a watchful eye on it,” he said. Wilcox also reported further developments between USF and the University of Exeter. In addition to existing joint research projects and a student exchange program between the universities, Wilcox said USF will expand student scholarships, US-UK Fulbright opportunities and grants for overseas study at Exeter. He said USF will also work to award sabbaticals with a travel supplement to faculty interested in spending a semester or full academic year working on research projects in selected fields with colleagues at Exeter.
The Oracle will have its first staff meeting of the year today in SVC 0002 at 5 p.m.
With the recent re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba, Wilcox also briefly mentioned faculty travel to Cuba in his address. While there are no laws preventing state-funded travel to the island nation, there are still federal regulations and lengthy license processes faculty members are subject to. He urged faculty members wishing to construct research projects or similar ventures in Cuba to first consult with USF World — USF’s lead office for international engagement and travel. “The reason I say, ‘Please work with USF World,’ is because we don’t want professors or students hurtling down the road planning (a trip to Cuba) only to learn at the last moment, as they try to get onto a plane to Havana, that they don’t have the necessary documentation,” Wilcox said. While he said study abroad trips to Cuba may not be in USF’s near future, he thinks it is inevitable for faculty and students to one day be engaged in research and education abroad with Cuba as a destination. “Legally, there’s nothing standing in our way,” he said. “It’s just a matter of faculty members developing an appropriate educationally-based proposal, uncovering sufficient student interest and working with the authorities.”
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Caution: Bulls crossing New signage was placed along the crosswalk at the intersection of 50th Street and USF Holly Drive last week, adding caution lights on the heavily trafficked road bordering campus. ORACLE PHOTO/ ADAM MATHIEU
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
Classifieds HELP WANTED Veterinary Technician/Assistant or Receptionist needed for animal hospital close to campus. Part-time or full-time. Experience a plus, but will train. Email resume to acahhiring@gmail.com. Hiring Gymnastics Instructors Premier Gymnastics, located in the Wesley Chapel area, is hiring experienced applicants for positions teaching School Age Gymnastics Classes, Birthday Parties, Open Gym and All Star Cheer. Applicant must be reliable, enthusiastic, great with children and have experience teaching gymnastics. Pay based on experience. Please email experience/resume to premiergym@gmail.com. Visit our website premiergymnasticsclub.com to view our facility and programs. Email jrv1111@gmail.com
APTS & HOUSES FOR RENT Beautiful Condo in desirable location. 3 bed/3.5 bath Available immediately! Call for a tour/more information today! (727)-793-5154
Office Assistant Premier family-owned funeral business in Tampa is seeking a self-starter for a weekend (Saturday and Sunday) position. This administrative role provides support by handling information requests, data input as well as routine clerical tasks. Qualified applicants will have strong telephone and organizational skills. This position requires positive, empathetic interaction with clients’ families. Only candidates with demonstrable skills in MS Work, MS Excel and MS Outlook need apply. Selected candidates will be required to pass a drug test and background check. Email ssmith@loylessfuneralhomes.com Pool Attendant Help wanted immediately. Part-time. Must have weekend availability and reliable transportation. CPR certification required. Apply in person at 8401 New Tampa Blvd or send resume to chet.benson@verizon.net
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UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
The Rundown
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‘ If I get negative, I’m going to be no good at all ... ’
‘That’s the only way I know’
Despite criticism, Willie Taggart and his football team remain upbeat.
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Former University of Texas LB and consensus four-star prospect Cecil Cherry will transfer to USF, the school confirmed. The Lakeland native lasted just three preseason practices with the Longhorns before departing for personal reasons. Though he can begin practicing with the team immediately, Cherry must sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules. He will have four years of eligibity remaining.
Did you know? During a 10-day trip to Spain earlier this month, the men’s and women’s basketball teams went a combined 6-2 in exhibition games. The women finished 4-0 and outscored their opponents — CREF, CB Vic and CB Sant Adria — 364-216. The men were 2-2, with losses coming against the Venezuelan and Angolan national teams.
A look ahead Women’s soccer vs. LIU Friday, 8 p.m. Women’s soccer vs. Miss. State Sunday, 10:30 a.m. Men’s soccer vs. Missouri State Friday, 8 p.m. Men’s soccer vs. Georgetown Sunday, 7 p.m. Volleyball at Ala. A&M (Miami) Friday, 5 p.m. Volleyball at North Fla. (Miami) Saturday, 10 a.m. Volleyball at FIU (Miami) Saturday, 6 p.m.
Willie Taggart vows that there is no self-help book he reads in order to have a positive attitude each day —a mirror does the job just fine. These days, however, that reflection probably looks a little different to USF’s third-year football coach. His goatee has a bit more salt Jeff Odom t h a n p e p p e r. CO M M E N TA R Y Instead of countless headlines and stories proclaiming him as the savior of the Bulls, some are calling for his job with several major college football preview magazines and pundits placing the 38-yearold on the list of coaches on the hot seat. Don’t expect any of that to lessen the width of his grin, though. Or his expectations.
n See TAGGART on PAGE 29
BY THE NUMBERS
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Third-year coach Willie Taggart has managed to keep a positive attitude about his program despite two straight losing seasons and critics placing him on the hot seat. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU
Largest margin of victory for USF under Willie Taggart — a 38-30 come-from-behind win over Tulsa (2-10) last October.
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Seasons for Skip Holtz, which included a bowl win, before he was fired in 2012.
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Winning seasons at USF for Taggart, who is 6-18 overall entering Year 3.
Women’s Soccer
USF has no room for second place n Runner-up finish to Connecticut in last season’s AAC tournament
still stings entering new campaign.
By Jeff Odom S P O R T S
E D I T O R
A little more to the left or right and it would have been a much different story. Though the USF women’s soccer team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in program history — losing in the first round
at home to Illinois State in 2010 — it was a defeat in penalty kicks at the hands of UConn in the AAC tournament championship game that is still hard for the Bulls to shake. Despite a multitude of opportunities in regulation, including a shot in the 21st minute by junior Leticia Skeete that clanked off the post, USF
found itself in overtime and — eventually — penalty kicks against the Huskies. Trailing 3-2 in the session, and needing a goal to keep their title hopes alive, the Bulls faltered as UConn keeper Emily Armstrong made the diving save on senior Olivia Chance.
n See SOCCER on PAGE 30
Senior midfielder Olivia Chance is one of 20 returning players this season. She had nine goals in 2014. ORACLE FILE PHOTO/TONY GORDON
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Men’s Soccer
Bulls beat Tampa, reclaim Rowdies Cup
USF’s players hold the Rowdies Cup high after their comeback win over Tampa in Saturday’s exhibition. ORACLE PHOTO/JEFF ODOM
By Chris Villar C O R R E S P O N D E N T
The USF men’s soccer team took back the Rowdies Cup for the first time in two years Saturday night with a 2-1 exhibition victory over University of Tampa at Corbett Stadium. “This game’s important to the town, for sure, and I know Tampa is a very good side,” USF coach George Kiefer said. “They have a lot of talent going forward.” Tampa opened the scoring in the second minute after miscommunication between the USF center backs led to Spartans midfielder Keith Francisco getting a one-onone situation with USF’s senior goalkeeper Spasoje Stefanovic. Francisco put an uncontested shot through the AAC’s preseason goalkeeper of the year to give the Spartans an early 1-0 advantage. It didn’t take long for the host Bulls to nab the equalizer. Thirty-six seconds later, junior Lindo Mfeka dribbled down the right side of the Spartans’ box and sent a cross to a wide-open junior Nazeem Bartman, who easily slotted in
the equalizer. Sophomore defender Gabriel Pfeffer scored the winner for the Bulls in the 36th minute after Mfeka sent in a free kick from about 35 yards out to the left side of the box. Senior Brandon Riley was the first to reach the ball and passed it across the box to Pfeffer, who easily tapped it into the net. Both sides had their fair share of chances in the second half. A penalty kick from Mfeka was stopped by Spartans goalkeeper Christian Knight and two shots by Francisco were both denied by the goal posts. “I saw some attacking movement and the way we got forward was really good,” Kiefer said. “Now it’s showing up at the back of the team, who steps up and who drops back for one-on-one defending.” Stefanovic finished the night needing to make only one more save after giving up the early goal. “The options and depth of the roster are very good,” Kiefer said. “So, we just need to grind out this week and look forward to Missouri State (in Friday’s regular-season opener).”
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“I don’t know any other way,” Taggart said. “If I get negative, I’m going to be no good at all — at anything. “That’s the only way I know.” For nearly a half-decade, all USF has really known is the loss column. The Bulls are far removed from their days as world-beaters, toppling the giants of the college football world to hike as high as No. 2 in the nation as they did for one short week in the fall of 2007. Instead of breaking into the top 25, they’ve been lucky to break 17 points on the scoreboard. Since its last victory against a Power Five opponent — a 23-20 triumph at Notre Dame to open the 2011 season — USF has tumbled to a 14-34 overall record with no bowl appearances. The Bulls have churned through four offensive coordinators, four defensive coordinators, six starting quarterbacks and two head coaches. On top of everything, attendance at Raymond James Stadium has
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sunk, averaging few more than 20,000 spectators per game last season in actual attendance, according to Tampa Sports Authority. But on the 10th anniversary of USF leaping into the national foray by joining the Big East Conference in 2005, Taggart believes magic still remains somewhere inside the caverns of the Lee Roy Selmon Athletic Center. Despite compiling a 6-18 record since inheriting the program from Skip Holtz following the 2012 season, Taggart insists the “downward spiral” has been halted. For Taggart, it has never been a matter of if his team will turn things around, but when it does. “You talk about culture, you talk about attitude — it’s about changing the attitude,” Taggart said. “It doesn’t happen overnight when you’ve been in a rut for so long. I think our veteran guys have been in our system now for two years, so they understand what that culture is supposed to be like.” Taggart’s upbeat way of thinking has become contagious to his players, as well. Middle linebacker Auggie
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Sanchez, one of the team’s vocal leaders, gives little credence to what outside critics think of the program. “They don’t put in the work that we put in. They don’t really see what we have here,” said Sanchez, a former twoway standout at St. Petersburg’s Northeast High. “They’re judging us off of last year’s team. So, they don’t know what we have this year. “They don’t have the right to judge us, I don’t think, personally.” Oh, but they will, and have done so already. USA Today placed the Bulls 103rd out of 128 schools in its preseason power rankings. Sporting News projected the Bulls to finish sixth — last — in the AAC Eastern Division behind UConn, which finished with two wins in 2014. Fox Sports predicts Taggart could be without a job if the Bulls can’t crack six victories in 2015. Fortunately for the team, someone forgot to deliver those messages to 4202 East Fowler Ave. “We want to get to the point where we’re the No. 1 team,” Sanchez said. “Are we there yet?
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Middle linebacker Auggie Sanchez, one of the team’s vocal leaders, said the Bulls do not care what outside critics think of the program. “They don’t put in the work that we put in. They don’t really see what we have here.” ORACLE FILE PHOTO/ADAM MATHIEU To Taggart, who once turned No. But we want to get to the point where we’re competing Western Kentucky University with the (University of) Floridas from a 2-10 afterthought in of the world, the Florida States 2010 into a bowl contender a of the world and the (University year later, the formula is simple. “We’re just trying to get our of) Miamis of the world; and we’ve gone, and we’ve beat- guys to get back to feeling that en Florida State. We’ve beaten way, and playing that way, and acting that way daily,” Taggart Miami. “We’ve done it before, we’ve said. “Just having a winning attijust got to get consistent with tude in everything you do. “Just win.” it.”
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Nine months later, the pain of that loss is still a sore spot for coach Denise SchilteBrown’s group. “I’ve spoken to them many times about how they felt,” Schilte-Brown said. “I mean, it does not feel good the way that we lost — our home field, PKs. It couldn’t have been a better set up for us to win. “But I think in both occasions — both the conference championship and the NCAAs — we really believed that we were going to win and we took it slightly for granted whether we want to believe it or not.” USF won’t let that happen again this year, Schilte-Brown said. The Bulls return 20 players to this year’s seasoned group — including Chance (team-high nine goals) and sophomore keeper Kat Elliott (0.95 goals against average, 39 saves) — but will have to replace graduated forward Demi Stokes, who earned second-team all-AAC honors after registering 12 points in 2014.
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Schilte-Brown expects junior Jordyn Listro (15 shots in 21 games) to help cushion the blow from Stokes’ departure, wants to capitalize on Listro’s abilities rather than compare her to Stokes. “I don’t think you ever lose a great player and try to fill that great player’s spot with something the same,” SchilteBrown said. “You try to put in a new player and bring out the best of them.” Starting with Friday’s opener against Long Island University-Brooklyn in the USF Tournament, the Bulls hope to be ready for anything that comes their way — even penalty kicks. “I think what we’ve learned, is that you’ve never won the game until the ball has gone in the back of the net,” SchilteBrown said. “It doesn’t matter who you play. It doesn’t matter if it’s on your home field. “Every day you have to show up and you have to put the ball in the back of the net. ... What matters is the scoreboard and the girls need to keep a focus on that, and we as a staff have to hold them accountable for what happens.”
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