SPOKANE, Wash. -- The USF men's soccer team posted a 3-1 victory over Gonzaga on Friday afternoon at Luger Field, helping the Dons improve to 5-10-0 overall and 3-1-0 in WCC play.
USF picked up goals from Sean Bowman, David Garrett and Davi Ramos in the win.
"I was really happy with the whole group," said head coach Eddie Soto. "We got some really good goals. In the second half we went a little more defensive and were able to hold up to the pressure. The guys were really well prepared and I thought we executed very well."
Gonzaga (6-8-1, 1-3-0) struck first with a goal in the ninth minute when the Zags' Conner Bevans threaded a shot into the net through traffic from inside the box on the right wing.
USF wasted no time in scoring the equalizer as, 15 seconds later, Garrett took a long cross off the foot of Ramos from the right wing and muscled a shot through Gonzaga keeper Chris Lowrimore's feet to tie the match at 1-1 and give Garrett his team-leading fifth goal of the year.
Then in the 15th minute, Ramos converted a penalty kick for the eventual game-winner, giving the Dons a 2-1 advantage while tallying his third score of the year.
Bowman added an insurance goal for USF in the 26th minute when he punched one in from the left side of the box to notch his third goal of the season.
The contest featured a combined 31 fouls and seven yellow cards, four of which were issued to USF.
"It was really difficult to get into a rhythm," added Soto. "It affected how we played. We were forced to make some changes because of the yellow cards and I couldn't afford to get some of our guys back in the game."
The Dons held an 8-6 edge in shots on the day, while Gonzaga held a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks. Garrett paced the Dons with four shots overall.
With three matches remaining in the regular season, the Dons find themselves in the hunt for a WCC championship. Coming into the day, USF was tied with LMU and Saint Mary's for second place.
"The guys feel really good," said Soto, "but we're focused on what our job is this weekend, and we see it like it's a business trip."
The Dons return to the pitch on Sunday when they play at Portland, who was 2-9-3, 0-3-0 coming into the weekend, with kickoff slated for 1 p.m. from Merlo Field.
