SAN FRANCISCO – USF scored early and held on to preserve the clean sheet in a 1-0 win over UC Davis on Sunday afternoon at Negoesco Stadium. In their first home game since the first week of the season, USF (4-6-0) got a goal from Micaela Mercado in the 6th minute and relied on its defense to help log the Dons' first shutout of the season.
 
Mercado was able to clean up a rebound in the box when Amanda Whittle's shot off the far post from the left wing deflected back into play.
 
"Our biggest issue has been getting in," said Mercado, who tallied her second game winner of the year. "So when I got in [to the box] it paid off and we got a result. It was a team effort and we needed this."
 
"We jumped on them early and got a nice goal," said head coach Jim Millinder. "We had some really nice looks in the first half. I thought we could have been up 2-0 in the first half, but we've been searching for W's, so we'll take it."  
The Dons endured a brutal seven-match road stretch over the past four weeks, but made the most of their return to the home pitch by closing out nonconference play with a win. USF is a perfect 3-0 at home so far this year.  
 
UC Davis (4-5-1) outshot USF 9-7 in the first half, but Olivia Camera, making her first collegiate start in goal, helped prevent the Aggies from getting on the board with four of her six saves in the first frame. Among her saves, Camera turned in a diving stop off a shot from Ari Zamora in heavy traffic in the 27th minute following a corner kick that deflected off the post.
 
"Olivia's first game in goal and she got a clean sheet," said Millinder. "I was just really happy with the back – [Ali] Schaffer and the defenders did a great job; I thought the midfield really kept the ball well today and I thought we created a lot up front with our three frontrunners."
 
In the 82nd minute, Whittle nearly gave the Dons a 2-0 advantage when her long blast from the top of the box slammed into the crossbar and was cleared by the UC Davis defense.
 
The Aggies ended up holding a 14-11 edge in shots overall on the day and an 8-1 advantage in corner kicks.
 
UP NEXT: With nonconference play behind them, the Dons enjoy a week off before returning to the pitch to kickoff West Coast Conference action at San Diego on Sept. 29, followed by a road contest at No. 6 BYU on Oct. 3.