Last weekend the Don's tied for third place al Chico State in the Western Coast Invitational. Their first game was against University of British Columbia where both teams battled hard. UBC scored first but the Dons did not give up. Sophomore Kimberly Nestcroff scored in the first half tying up the game at one a piece. Then on an indirect kick, UBC scored and ended the game 2-1 in UBC's favor. USF's first seasonal victory occurred that afternoon against Hayward. "The team played together and communicated well," commented freshman Allison Grenrich. She and teammates sophomore Pamela Riggs and Nesteroff all scored one goal. Freshman sweeper Nikki Gilliam also contributed two goals to give the Dons a 5-2 win. Hayward's goals were scored by a penalty kick and a controversial decision on whether or not the ball completely crossed the goal line.
Saturday morning the Dons defeated Oregon Slate 2- 0. This win automatically placed USF in the third round with hope of playing in the championship game. It all depended on UBC's performance against Hayward. If UBC tied or lost USF would advance. Unfortunately, neither happened and UBC went on to the championship round. In competing for third place, USF look on Simon Frasher from British Columbia, Canada. The Dons were nol playing to the best of their ability during first half. That changed in the second half when USF outplayed and out shot their opponent but could not get one in. Coming up this Sunday, lhe Dons play Harvanl at 2:00 p.m. in Negoesco stadium. Then, on Monday they take on the always tough University of Central Florida to dominate with their rough and tumble style of play. The hall was constantly in thc Dons' defensive backfield, and the Aces capitalized with two goals. Don goalie Andrew Gloskowski played well, bul the unusually disoriented defense simply broke down. To make matters worse, Kriechbaumer was forced oul of the game alter Evansville's first goal. With 25 minutes remaining, Kriechbaumer took a brutal kick to the groin area and was unable te return to action. All told, the Met Life Classic delivered everything it promised; big crowds and exciting college soccer. While the Dons failed lo capture the title, they did show that they can compete with America's best. If they can find the right combination of players again, they may very well be one of America's best before long (TheFoghorn).
