BERKELEY, Calif. -- Taking a one match break from their WCC schedule, the University of San Francisco men's soccer team (7-3-2, 0-2-0 WCC) were in action across the Bay in Berkeley as they came away with the 5-1 victory over the California Golden Bears (3-5-4, 1-3-1 Pac-12) on Saturday afternoon.
USF asserted its dominance throughout the match as they out shot Cal by a 19-12 margin in picking up the victory over a Pac-12 program.
Max Hamelink put together a career afternoon by recording a hat trick by scoring three goals to double his season total while also picking up an assist for the Dons.
Kainoa Likewise made his first start in goal since joining the Dons and performed well against the Golden Bears by recording five saves while playing the entire 90 minutes on Saturday.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- The Dons were able to open the scoring early in Saturday's match as Hamelink netted his first of three goals at the 14 minute mark to make it 1-0 USF.
- Cal would answer right before halftime at the 43 minute mark as both teams went into the break even at 1 with the Dons outshooting the Golden Bears by an 8-5 margin.
- USF was able to regain the lead for good early in the second half as Rodrigo Bueno scored his second goal of the season off an assist from Hamelink at the 54 minute mark.
- Max Chretien gave the Dons' lead some padding by finding the back of the net for the fourth time this season as he was set up from an Easton Harryman assist to make it 4-1 USF 66 minutes into the game.
- Hamelink wasn't done yet delighting the fans in attendance as he scored twice more once off an assist from Arjan Dosanjh and from a penalty kick as the Dons took home the 5-1 road victory.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Hamelink's career afternoon pushed him up the conference's goal scoring ladder as he's now tied for second in the WCC with six goals with three of them coming against Cal on Saturday.
- Likewise picked up his first victory as a Don against the Golden Bears as he allowed just one goal while recording five saves.
- Chretien scored his fourth goal of the season while Bueno found the back of the net for the second time this season as each goal proved crucial for USF to win by a comfortable margin.
- Dosanjh and Harryman each picked up assists in what was the Dons' second highest goal scoring match of the season.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
Head Coach Chris Brown-- "This is a great road win against a strong Pac-12 team. So many guys stepped up and played well. We showed a lot of heart and toughness, mixed in with some special individual quality. We hadn't scored in three games and we asked a lot from the guys this week and they rose to the occasion.
Max Hamelink was exceptional tonight and showed why he's one of the best midfielders on the West Coast."
UP NEXT:
USF will be back in the East Bay next week as they will head to Moraga to battle the Saint Mary's Gaels (5-6-2) at 3:00 p.m. from Saint Mary's Stadium. Live streaming and live statistics will be available via the
team's schedule page.
FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the USF men's soccer program, be sure to follow @USFDonsMSoccer on Twitter, @USFDonsMenssoccer on Instagram and @USFDonsMSoccer on Facebook.
SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor - Provident Credit Union - for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact
Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.