SAN FRANCISCO – It had the makings of a storybook ending with a senior scoring the game-winning goal in her final collegiate game. It turned out that way, but in favor of a Santa Clara senior instead, as the Broncos' Jordan Jesolva netted the golden goal in the 96th minute to help hand the Dons a 2-1 loss on Saturday evening at Negoesco Stadium.
Amanda Whittle put USF (7-12-0, 3-6-0) up early with a header off a beautiful cross from
Miciah Madison in the 24th minute. It was Whittle's team-best sixth goal of the season, giving her 43 career points, which rank as the ninth-most in USF history.
The Dons' defense was then charged with the task of withstanding a ferocious Santa Clara attack, which it did successfully until Jesolva connected in the 81st minute by corralling a bouncing ball amidst a scrum in front of the net and pounding it past USF keeper
Olivia Camera for the equalizer that forced overtime.
"It was great for Whittle to go out with a goal tonight," said head coach
Jim Millinder. "We had a couple of chances, but we were under a lot of pressure."
Santa Clara (9-6-4, 6-2-1) held a decisive 23-9 edge in shots on the night, giving the young freshman Camera the opportunity to make nine saves, tying for the season-high.
Camera played a huge role in preserving the shutout as long as the Dons did, turning in numerous diving stops and close range rejections.
On an otherwise slow night offensively for USF, Whittle nearly slotted in the golden goal herself in the 94th minute when her shot from the left wing rolled within inches of the goal line but didn't have the right angle to find the back of the net.
"The effort tonight was tremendous," said head coach
Jim Millinder. "You can't fault the effort, and it's been like that all year long. To play against a very hungry Santa Clara team that knew they needed to win, you can't fault our effort."
This was only the second loss at home for the Dons, who finished the year 6-2-0 at Negoesco Stadium.
With the loss, USF's season comes to a close. The Dons were in seventh place in the West Coast Conference standings heading into the night, while Santa Clara was in fourth vying for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.
