Box Score (Sacramento) – San Francisco men's soccer competed, but could not break through for a victory and dropped a 2-0 decision at Sacramento State Sunday at Hornet Field. The Dons (0-3-0) had some opportunities, but could not capitalize against the Hornets (1-1-0), who held a clear advantage in experience.
After holding the 2009-10 NCAA Tournament squad scoreless in the opening half, Sacramento State struck for a goal by Matt Linenberger off a deflection in the 53rd minute and that would be all the Hornets would need. Gabriel Silveira added an insurance tally in the 71st minute to lift Sacramento State to its first victory of 2011.
"When you go down 1-0 with a young team in 90 degree heat – they just don't have the experience and the mental toughness yet to bounce back that well," USF head coach Erik Visser said. "It was disappointing. It was a winnable game for us. I give Sacramento credit, because at the end of the day they were probably the better team."
USF applied most of its pressure in the opening period, firing five shots, while the Hornets took six. The Dons managed just one attempt after the intermission as Sacramento State's stingy defense stepped up. The Hornets held a 10-6 shot advantage for the contest. Sacramento area native freshman
Miguel Aguilar cracked a team-high three shots for the Green and Gold.
Junior goalkeeper
Brendan Roslund (0-2-0) suffered the loss for San Francisco, while his counterpart Bryan Oliver collected the shutout without needing to make a save.
San Francisco returns tot action when it competes in the 2011 UNLV Nike Invitational, beginning Friday, September 9. The Dons take on the host Rebels in a 7:00 PM match at Peter Johann Memorial Field in Las Vegas.
