SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Catching fire in the second half, the University of San Francisco men's soccer team (2-0-0) recorded their first shutout of the season on Saturday as the Dons blanked Niagara (0-2-0), 2-0, on a brisk night at Negoesco Stadium.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Coming out of the gates, USF and Niagara were both able to control the ball offensively as the two teams exchanged shots to begin the contest. Despite the early opportunities, neither team could find the back of the net in the opening minutes.
• Overall, USF went on to outshoot the Purple Eagles, 8-5, in the first half, but the match remained scoreless at the halftime break. 
• Continuing to apply pressure out of the locker room, the Dons struck first to open the scoring in the 48^th minute as Max Hamelink snuck the ball past Niagara goalkeeper Jamie Barry on a crafty assist from Andri Jonasson.
• Just over 10 minutes later, Jonasson found the back of the net himself to give USF a 2-0 lead as he put home a rebound following a shot from Hamelink and a save from Barry in the 64^th minute.
• Despite some chippy behavior towards the end of the match, the Dons were ultimately able to defend their home field for the second straight game by hanging on to shutout the Purple Eagles, 2-0.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Delivering in a big way to begin his career on the Hilltop, Hamelink scored for the second straight match as the midfielder was a key part of the USF attack on Saturday. For Jonasson, his assist and goal were both firsts in the green and gold.
• As a team, USF dominated offensively most of the night as the Dons outshout Niagara 16-8, including an 8-3 advantage in shots on goal. Overall, USF also had 10 corner kicks to Niagara's 3.
• Individually, six different Dons tallied two shots on the night: Hamelink, Jonasson, Rodrigo Bueno, Max Chretien, Jeesung Kim and Nathan Simeon.

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

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

Head Coach Chris Brown-
 On the match: "I think you know after last game of showing our resilience to come back at the end, we know we have the ability, we know we have the talent… We came out not as great as I thought we could have, but we came out flying in the second half and created a lot of opportunities. We haven't put a full 90 minutes together yet, but the way I see it, it's coming soon."
 
On Max Hamelink's performance: "Hamelink has been a game changer in there… He is finding himself in pockets, finding himself in dangerous areas and he is distributing the ball extremely well."
 
On continuing the momentum: "I told them to enjoy the win tonight, but we'll start focusing on San Jose State tomorrow. San Jose State and Sacramento State play tomorrow, so we'll be keeping a close eye on them. Simon always has a well-coached team… He does a really good job with his team…They play great soccer, they're scrappy, they're tough… It will definitely be a tough test but we'll be prepared for them.
 
UP NEXT:
USF will remain at home on the Hilltop over the next week as the Dons will welcome San Jose State to Negoesco Stadium next Thursday, Sept. 1. Scheduled for 4:00 pm kickoff, this match will serve as the first game of a doubleheader between the USF men's and women's soccer teams as the USF women will battle Cal at 7:00 pm. Live streaming, live statistics and tickets 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.