SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Bouncing back in a big way, the University of San Francisco women's soccer team (1-1) notched their first win of 2024 on Sunday as the Dons used the strength of three goals to power past UC San Diego (0-2), 3-0, at Negoesco Stadium.
 
Notably, Pinder Nijjar secured his first win as a head coach with the victory over the Tritons.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Applying pressure early for San Francisco, Alex Carpio fired the first shot of the match for USF at 5:54, but was ultimately turned away by UC San Diego goalkeeper Ginny Fronk.
• Following another save from Fronk, this time off of an attempt from Jackie Koerwitz, Ellie Weissenberg and Isabella Ayau each recorded their first shots of the night, but neither could find the back of the net.
• In the 34^th minute, Kaitlyn Sasadeusz provided a huge spark off the bench as the sophomore punched home the first goal of the year for USF, which also happened to be her first collegiate goal, at 33:39 to put the Dons on top, 1-0.
• Not allowing the Tritons to get a shot off for the remainder of the half, the green and gold remained in front by one goal at the halftime break.
• Starting the second half, two freshmen made their mark on the pitch. After Kianna Faucette tallied her first shot of her collegiate career, Cade Mendoza found Sydney Harpster for her first goal at the collegiate level as the strike pushed San Francisco's lead to 2-0 at 54:06.
• Continuing to deny UC San Diego on defense, the Dons made it a three-goal game when Lindsey Chau drove down the center of the field and fired a rocket into the top of the cage to make it 3-0 at 84:50.
• Defending their home turf, San Francisco went on to secure their first clean sheet of the season as the green and gold shutout the Tritons, 3-0. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• For Chau, the goal marked her first of the fall and her eighth career goal overall. Last year, the forward finished tied for third on the team with three goals.
• For Sasadeusz and Harpster, both felt the excitement of scoring at the Division I level for the first time on Sunday. Notably, Sasadeusz appeared in 14 matches for USF last year tallying 2 assists and 4 points in 250 total minutes.
• As a unit, the shoutout victory marks the first time this year the Dons have held their opposition scoreless. Last season, San Francisco blanked their opponents six times, going 5-0-1 in those matches.

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full highlights of today's match, please click here.
• To view the full postgame interview with Natalie Drotzmann, please click here.
• To view the full postgame interview with interim head coach Pinder Nijjar, please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will continue their homestand on Thursday, Aug. 22 as the Dons will host Northeastern at 5:00 pm. This match will be the first game of a doubleheader at Negoesco Stadium as the San Francisco men's soccer team will host Cal Poly on Thursday night at 7:30 pm. Live streaming, live stats and ticket links for both matches are available via the team's schedule page.
 
FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco women's soccer program, be sure to follow @USFDonsWSoccer on Twitter, @USFDonsWSoccer on Instagram and @USFDonsWSOC 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 - Planet Orange - for their continued support of San Francisco 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.