THIS WEEK
San Francisco vs. Saint Mary's
Friday, Oct. 7, 7 p.m.
Audio/Video Stream: TheW.tv
STATS | WATCH
San Francisco vs. Pacific
Sunday, Oct. 9, 1 p.m.
Audio/Video Stream: TheW.tv
STATS | WATCH
One week into the conference season and the USF women's soccer team is looking to rekindle their magic from last year, when they went a run during conference action en route to a program-best 7-2-0 mark in WCC play. After dropping their first two conference contests at San Diego and BYU this past week, the Dons hope to start that transition this weekend when they host Saint Mary's and Pacific at Negoesco Stadium.
The Dons and Gaels will matchup at 7 p.m. on Friday evening, while USF and UOP are slated for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Sunday. Both matches will be streamed live on TheW.tv with USF's broadcasting tandem of Charles Wollin (play-by-play) and Joe Dugan (analyst) on the call.
Sunday's match against Pacific will be the Dons' Pink Match where USF will partner with Bay Area non-profit HERS Breast Cancer Foundation to help raise support and awareness for breast cancer. Fans wearing pink to the match will receive free entry and USF Athletics will be collecting donations for HERS during the match.
USF comes into the weekend sitting at 4-8-0 overall and 0-2-0 in conference play. Their trip to USD and BYU proved difficult to generate much offense in a 3-1 loss and a 4-0 defeat, respectively. But senior midfielder
Jessica Nakae was able to nab her second goal of the year when she scored in the 59th minute against the Toreros. USF hopes a return to Negoesco Stadium – where they are a perfect 3-0-0 this year - will be just the ticket to get them back in the win column.
"We've had a tough first week in the WCC. We've played well at times, but we haven't had the follow through," fifth-year head coach
Jim Millinder said. "What we're looking to do this weekend, first and foremost against Saint Mary's is put together a solid 90 minutes and give ourselves a chance to win."
"Saint Mary's is a good team. They're certainly a much better team than what their record indicates. But when you play WCC [matches] you can throw out the record anyway, it doesn't matter. It's a battle every night. Pacific just beat Saint Mary's, so anybody can beat anybody on any given day."
Saint Mary's travels across the Bay for Friday's matchup after falling to Pacific in their WCC opener. The Gaels sport a 2-8-2 overall record and have been buoyed offensively by Hannah Diaz's four goals. Despite their lopsided record, SMC posted their signature win this season with a 2-0 upset over then-No. 12 Cal on Sept. 9 in Moraga. The Gaels are sitting near the bottom of the conference in points (23), but have tended to do their damage late in games, having tallied just two goals in the first half this year, while outscoring opponents 7-6 in the second frame.
Saint Mary's holds the edge in the all-time series, 22-9-1, but USF has won three of the last four meetings, including a 2-1 decision in Moraga last year where
Camille Wilson netted the eventual game-winner in the 17th minute and the Dons' defense held off the Gaels, despite a goal in the 74th minute by SMC's Samantha Dion.
On Sunday, the Dons will be looking to claim their third consecutive win over Pacific, whose victory over Saint Mary's this past weekend was their first victory of the season. The Tigers will be leaning on Sigrid Aas and Loren Landrus, who lead the Pacific attack with a pair of goals each. Another team trying to break out, UOP sits in 10th place in the WCC in shots (78), goals (8) and points (21) coming into the week.
USF leads the all-time series with Pacific, 12-4-2, and will try to carry over the momentum from last year's meeting, which USF won 1-0 on the road when
Amanda Whittle scored in the 86th minute.
Looking ahead, the Dons will head to Southern California for WCC matchups at Loyola Marymount (Oct. 21) and Pepperdine (Oct. 23), before returning home to close out the regular season with three straight contests at Negoesco Stadium.
Adult single-game tickets are available to see the Dons on the newly renovated pitch at Negoesco Stadium for just $10. Seniors and recent alumni who have graduated from USF within the past 10 years can acquire seats for $5 per seat. Back by popular demand, USF faculty, staff and students and youth 12 and under enter Negoesco Stadium free all fall. Fans wishing to secure a season ticket can do so at an affordable price of $40 per fall sport.
Returning for the 2016-17 season, fans can acquire an All-Sports Pass, which includes general admission access to over 90 USF sporting events throughout the athletic calendar spanning not only the men's and women's soccer and volleyball seasons but also men's and women's basketball and baseball in the spring at the brand new Benedetti Diamond.
Single-game and season ticket options are available online, or patrons can call the ticket office at 415.422.2USF (2873) for questions or to secure your All-Sports Pass today.
