DeLAND, Fla. — Fresh off its most productive road performance of the season, Stetson men's soccer makes the quick trip across the state Tuesday night for a nonconference matchup with South Florida. Kickoff from Corbett Stadium in Tampa is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Hatters enter the midweek matchup with some momentum after breaking through for four goals in Saturday night's 4-1 victory at Lipscomb. Stetson scored three times before halftime and never looked back, earning its first road victory of the season while improving to 3-6-2 overall and 2-3 in ASUN play.

Tuesday provides a brief break from the conference schedule, but not from familiar competition. Stetson and South Florida have met 36 times previously, including each of the last three seasons, and the last three meetings have all been decided by a single goal. The Bulls enter Tuesday at 1-8-1 overall following a 1-0 setback against FIU.

After spending much of the opening half of the season consistently generating opportunities, Stetson saw those chances turn into goals in a big way Saturday night in Nashville.

The Hatters struck three times during the opening 45 minutes against Lipscomb, converting three of their 10 first-half shots to take a commanding 3-0 advantage into the break. Stetson added another after halftime and finished with 18 attempts in the 4-1 victory, matching its highest scoring output of the season.

The four-goal performance was Stetson's second of the year, joining the 4-1 victory over Presbyterian on Sept. 15. More importantly, it came away from home. After opening the season 0-4-1 on the road, the Hatters broke through for their first road victory while picking up three important points in ASUN play.

It also continued a season-long trend of Stetson creating chances in volume. The Hatters have now recorded double-digit shots in nine consecutive matches, a stretch that dates back to the Aug. 29 trip to Coastal Carolina. Saturday's 18 attempts established a new season high, surpassing the 16 Stetson produced against Presbyterian.

At the center of Saturday's offensive outburst was graduate midfielder Afonso Conde, who enters Tuesday following the first multi-goal performance of his season.

Conde struck twice during Stetson's three-goal opening half, scoring less than four minutes into the match before finding the net again in the 23rd minute. He finished the night with two goals on three shots and placed both of his attempts on frame.

The performance earned Conde ASUN Player of the Week honors and pushed the Lisbon, Portugal, native into the team lead with four goals this season.

More notably, Conde has developed a habit of finding the net when the Hatters win. He scored the opening goal in Stetson's 2-0 victory over West Florida and followed three days later with another winner against Presbyterian. After Saturday's brace, Conde has now accounted for four goals across Stetson's three victories this fall.

His recent run has also continued a productive career in the Green and White. Conde entered the season with nine career goals before reaching double figures against West Florida, and he has continued adding to that total during his graduate campaign.

Saturday's result was not simply Stetson's highest-scoring road performance of the season. The way the Hatters built their advantage represented a change from much of the opening portion of the schedule.

Stetson entered the weekend having scored four first-half goals through its opening 10 matches. The Hatters nearly doubled that total in a span of 45 minutes at Lipscomb, scoring three times before the break to establish their largest halftime lead of the season.

Conde started the scoring early before the Hatters continued to apply pressure throughout the half. Benjamin Donato joined the attack with a goal and an assist on the night, while Matthew Perez added an assist as part of another active performance in the attacking third.

The early production allowed Stetson to play from in front, something that has been particularly important this season. All three Hatter victories have come in matches in which Stetson scored first, while Saturday marked the second time this year the Hatters scored at least three times before the final whistle.

Stetson will now look to carry that quicker start into Tampa against a South Florida side that has played several close matches despite its record.

While four goals provided plenty of breathing room Saturday, freshman goalkeeper Murillo Mello continued his strong stretch at the other end.

Mello made five saves over the full 90 minutes against Lipscomb, helping protect Stetson's early advantage as the Bisons increased their pressure after halftime. Lipscomb finished the night with 20 shots and put six on target, but only one found its way past the freshman.

The performance followed a season-high five-save effort at North Florida and a four-save night against UCF, giving Mello 14 saves across his last three appearances.

His emergence has helped stabilize a Hatter defense that has repeatedly kept matches within reach. Mello has started six of Stetson's last seven matches and owns the team's lone clean sheet this season, which came in the 2-0 victory over West Florida.

Tuesday's trip brings Stetson to a South Florida side looking to change the direction of its season during a stretch of home matches at Corbett Stadium.

The Bulls enter the matchup at 1-8-1 overall and 0-3-1 in American Conference play. Their most recent outing came Friday night against FIU, when South Florida battled through more than 25 minutes down a man before eventually conceding in the 83rd minute of a 1-0 loss.

Despite the defeat, goalkeeper Marcus Steinhaeuser provided a strong performance in his first start of the season. Steinhaeuser finished with seven saves, including six after halftime, and kept the Bulls within reach deep into the second half.

South Florida's attack has been led by Tyler Richardson. Richardson enters Tuesday with team highs in goals, assists and points, recording three goals and three assists for nine points. His nine points also rank ninth in the American Conference.

The Bulls' record has included a number of competitive results. South Florida has been involved in five one-goal decisions and also played Florida Atlantic to a draw in conference action. Tuesday represents another opportunity for the Bulls to step outside American Conference play as they search for their second non-conference victory of the season.

Trips to Tampa have become a regular part of Stetson's recent non-conference schedule, and the meetings between the Hatters and Bulls have provided plenty of offense.

South Florida leads the all-time series 30-5-1 and holds a 21-3-1 advantage against Stetson at Corbett Stadium, but each of the last three meetings has been decided by a single goal.

The most recent came almost exactly one year ago, on Oct. 7, 2025, when the Bulls built a 3-0 advantage early in the second half in Tampa. Stetson refused to go quietly, scoring twice during a second-half rally before South Florida held on for a 3-2 victory.

That result mirrored the score from the previous meeting in DeLand, where South Florida earned another 3-2 win in 2023. Stetson's most recent victory in the series also came by that same score, with the Hatters leaving Corbett Stadium with a 3-2 win on Oct. 12, 2022.

That gives the last three meetings an unusual bit of symmetry: three consecutive 3-2 finals, 15 combined goals and three games separated by the smallest possible margin. Stetson returns to Tampa Tuesday looking to flip that margin back in its favor.

Saturday's victory in Nashville did more than give Stetson its first road win of the season. It also moved the Hatters right into the middle of a crowded ASUN table as the conference schedule enters its second half.

Stetson now sits at 2-3 in conference play with six points, tied with Lipscomb and West Florida in the standings. Queens currently occupies second with eight points, while Central Arkansas sits just ahead with seven, leaving only two points separating second place from a group of three teams sitting on six.

North Florida has created some separation at the top, opening conference play a perfect 5-0 to collect 15 points. Behind the Ospreys, however, there remains plenty to be decided. Stetson's victory at Lipscomb was particularly valuable in that regard, allowing the Hatters to pull even with the Bisons while remaining within striking distance of the teams immediately ahead of them.

 Tuesday's trip to South Florida temporarily puts that race on hold, giving Stetson a non-conference test before returning to a tightly packed league table.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET Tuesday at Corbett Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Live coverage information and live statistics will be available through GoHatters.com.

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