PORTLAND – The University of San Francisco men's soccer team once again displayed tremendous defense but could not overcome the early goal by Portland, falling 1-0 on Saturday evening at Merlo Field. 

"The future is bright for this group," said head coach Leonard Griffin. "They've consistently progressed each game this season. I still remain proud of the effort and commitment to giving their all to the program. The future remains very bright for this group. Individually, Jonah Van Der Werf was very dangerous all night and cause a ton of problems for the Portland back line. Our defensive organization from our midfield and back line did a fantastic job of keeping us in the game.  Ruben Stuiver was a wall I'm goal his ability and leadership shined tonight."

 The Pilots (9-5-1/3-2-0) did not take long to score the games' only goal.  The Pilots scored in the second minute when USF failed to clear the ball and Gio Magana-Rivera ended up with the loose ball and took the shot from the top of the box that was deflected past the Dons' keeper.
 
USF (2-12-1/0-5-0 WCC) was outshot 16-6 with the Pilots (9-5-1/3-2-0 WCC) owning a 6-3 shots on goal advantage.  Stuiver (1-11) finished the night with five saves, he now has 67 for the year.
 
In the second half, the Pilots could not add to their lead but it wouldn't matter.  USF was held to just three shots in the second half, with two on goal.  Pilots' keeper Nico Campuzano earned the clean sheet, tallying three saves – two coming after the intermission.
 
Ashish Chattha led the Dons with two shots on the night, with one on goal.  Also tallying a shot was Jorge Ruiz, Shayan Charalaghi, Van Der Werf, and Jake Serpa.
 
The Dons will get a week off, they return to action next Sunday, Nov. 10 when Pacific comes to Negoesco Stadium.  That game is slated for a 4:00 p.m. start time and will feature live stats and streamed live via the WCC Network.