SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Digging deep to claim victory in the final minutes of their season opener, the University of San Francisco men's soccer team edged Northern Illinois, 3-2, on Thursday afternoon as Negoesco Stadium as a late goal from Dominic Valdivia proved to be the game winner for the Dons.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Battling defensively to open the contest, the first shot of the match was not registered until the 14:06 into regulation as Nathan Simeon fired his first attempt of the night, missing just wide left.
• Just over ten minutes later, Simeon produced a stellar cross on the attack at 25:20 as Max Chretien was perfectly positioned inside the box to deliver USF's first goal of the season on a header that shot past the NIU goalkeeper.
• Continuing to apply pressure, Valdivia, Max Hamelink and Andri Jonasson each registered shots to close the first half, but the Dons were unable to extend their lead in the following minutes. At the break, USF maintained a 1-0 advantage over NIU.
• Wasting little time out of halftime, the Huskies drew even on a goal from Camilo Estrada in the 53^rd minute. As the match progressed, both teams continued to attack the opposing goal, but neither side could find the go-ahead strike.
• In the 76^th minute, Harry Jolley found the back of the net following a ricochet off of a save from USF goalkeeper Eric Waltz to put NIU in front, 2-1.
• Never easing up, USF answered to even the match seven minutes later as Hamelink blasted his first goal as a Don in the 84^th minute off of a miss from Valdivia.  
• Trusting each other until the end, USF continued to attack the NIU defense after the match was leveled as Simeon once again delivered a flawless pass to the middle of the box, where Valdivia then put home the game-winner in the 89^th minute.
• Following one final stand on the defensive end, the Dons would hold on to take down the Huskies in thrilling fashion, 3-2. Notably, Thursday's victory marked the fifth straight year in which USF has notched a win in their home opener. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Playing in their first regular season match in the green and gold, Chretien and Hamelink each tallied their first Division I goals as both play key roles in USF's attack on Thursday.
• For Valdivia, the Santa Monica native registered his first goal since scoring USF's lone goal in a 1-0 win over Pacific on Mar. 21, 2021.
• Primarily serving as a defender in previous years, Simeon logged his first two collegiate assists in the victory.
• In the cage, San Jose State transfer Eric Waltz impressed in his debut for the Dons as he tied his career-high with seven saves against the Huskies.

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full highlights of tonight's match, please click here.

Head Coach Chris Brown:
 On being back at home- "It was great to be back in front of our home crowd and to pull out the win. We have a strong group of returners who are gelling with the new guys and the culture we are creating shows in our hard work and resiliency during matches like this."
 
On Nathan Simeon- "Nathan was electric tonight. He has the ability to change the game on both sides of the ball and he did exactly that for us tonight."
 
On keeping the momentum- "It was a solid start for us tonight… some things we definitely can improve on, but overall I'm proud of the fight in this group and their never quit attitude. I know who I can go to war with each week and I'm excited to see what we can accomplish moving forward if we continue to execute like we did tonight."

NEXT UP:
USF will remain at home on the Hilltop this weekend as the Dons will welcome Niagara to Negoesco Stadium for a 7:00 pm battle on Saturday, Aug. 27. Live streaming and live statistics are 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.