SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Controlling the pace for most of the second half, the University of San Francisco men's soccer team (4-1-2) finished in another hard-fought draw on Thursday night as the Dons and UC Davis (2-2-2) were event at 2-2 after the full 90 minutes at Negoesco Stadium.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Beginning with the Aggies firing the first few shots of the contest, San Francisco did not get their first shot off until the 17th minute, but it did not provide much of a threat as Zane Alafranji's attempt was blocked by the opposing defender.
- After the UC Davis would get in the board first in the 29th minute, the Dons would strike back soon after as Elias Thomas scored inside the box by blasting home his first goal of the year in the 35th minute following a set piece opportunity.
- Fighting tooth and nail through the remainder of the first half, the two teams would each get off one more shot before the halftime break, but the score remained knotted at 1-1 after the opening 45 minutes of action.
- Attacking immediately out of the break, San Francisco fired three straight shots to begin the second half, but the Dons did not find paydirt until their fourth attempt as Arjan Dosanjh delivered a perfect ball into the box off a corner kick before Olivier Sylvain executed the perfect header to push the ball past the keeper and put the green and gold back in front, 2-1, at the 50:17 mark.
- Continuing to impose their will, USF tallied more shots as the half played on, but the Aggies would not go down without a fight. In the 80th minute, UC Davis would get a shot at tying the game after a foul inside the box set up the Aggies with a penalty shot at 79:52. Initially making a diving save, goalkeeper Eric Waltz dove and extended out to block Chase Tanon's initial attempt, but the ball ultimately ricocheted right back to Tanon off the miss as he tapped it into the back of the net to even things at 2-2 before the San Francisco defense responded.
- Down the stretch, Constantinos Michaelides and Sylvain kept pressure on the opponent with shots on target at 81:27 and 81:35, but San Francisco could not find the go-ahead strike they needed to regain control.
- Despite one final attempt from Chris Maldonado at 86:22, the two teams battled until the final whistle to produce a 2-2 draw on Thursday night.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- For Sylvain, this goal marked his first career collegiate as the sophomore missed all of 2022 with a knee injury. Notably, the midfielder now leads the team with 21 total shots on the year so far.
- Playing in 41 minutes off the bench, Dosanjh recorded a season-high four shots against the Aggies, which included one shot on frame.
- Overall, six different Dons played the full 90 minutes on Thursday: Thomas, Sylvain, Reid Roberts, Gabriel Bracken Serra, Ramon Munoz Jr and Eric Waltz. Additionally, San Francisco dominated the second half defensively by outshooting the Aggies 11-2 in the final 45 minutes as UC Davis recorded their only two shots of the half on the penalty kick opportunity.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
San Francisco will close out their five game homestand this Sunday, Sept. 18 when they welcome Sacramento State to Negoesco Stadium for a 7:00 pm matchup. Live streaming, live statistics and ticket links are available via the team's schedule page.
FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco men's soccer program, be sure to follow
@USFDonsMSoccer on Twitter,
@USFDonsMenssoccer on Instagram and
@USFDonsMSoccer on Facebook.
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today!
Click here to purchase.
SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor - Corona - 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.
