USAF ACADEMY, Colo. — The No. 22 San Francisco men's soccer team took an early lead on the road Friday night against its second nationally ranked opponent in three games, but host No. 23 Air Force was able to come from behind with two first half goals and a strong defensive stand in the second half to win a top-25 battle, 2-1, at Cadet Soccer Stadium.
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No. 22 San Francisco (2-3-1) struck first in the eighth minute, taking a 1-0 lead.
Matt Orr struck for the Dons with an unassisted goal, his second score of the season. That gave USF at least one goal in five of its six games this season.
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But the No. 23 Falcons (6-1) tied the game very quickly. Just 2 1/2 minutes later, Klint Parker tallied his second goal of the season as well to make it 1-1 in the 11th minute. Parker's goal was also unassisted.
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Air Force would go ahead for good in the 24th minute when David Louthan headed the ball into the net off an assist from Tucker Bone. The goal put the Falcons ahead 2-1 with just over 20 minutes to play in the first half, and would mark the final goal of the match by either team.
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Air Force outshot the Dons, 21-7, including 8-4 in shots on goal. The Falcons held a 12-3 shots advantage in the first half alone as they dominated possession.
Ruben Stuiver made six saves in net for the Dons.
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San Francisco is at Denver on Sunday for a noon Pacific Time kickoff. Fans can find all live coverage links on USFDons.com.
