SAN FRANCISCO - The San Francisco men's soccer team will wrap up the 2012 regular season with a home stand this weekend at Negoesco Field. The Dons welcome Gonzaga on Friday at 7 p.m., followed by a Senior Day Match against Portland on Sunday at 12 p.m.
Gonzaga (4-13-0, 0-10 WCC) is in last place in the West Coast Conference standings with zero points. USF (5-7-4, 3-5-2 WCC) is in fifth place in the conference with 11 points. The Bulldogs are in the midst of a 10-game losing streak and have not won a conference game this year. The Green and Gold enters the weekend with a 3-3-1 home record, while Gonzaga sports a 2-9 road record. The last time these two squads met, Sept. 30 at Gonzaga, the Dons beat the Bulldogs 2-1, with USF both goals coming off the foot of
Mauricio Diaz De Leon.
Portland (7-9-2, 5-5-1 WCC) is, one spot ahead of the Dons in the conference standings with 16 points. The Pilots are sitting at 3-3-1 on the road, and USF will look to capitalize at Negoesco on Sunday at noon. The last time these two squads met was a 1-0 decision in favor of Portland on Sept. 28.
Don't forget, Sunday is Senior Day and also Youth Free Sunday. Come support the Dons senior class in their final regular season game. Also, youth 12 and under will get free admission to the game. If you can't get to the pitch, the action will be live streamed at usfdons.com.
USF Head Soccer Coach Erik Visser is looking forward to the weekend's games. His goals for the weekend are simple. “Two home games - we want to finish up strong. My goal is to have two victories this weekend.”
USF - BY THE NUMBERS:
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The Dons have been stingy on defense, allowing only 18 goals all season with a goals-against average of 1.12, good enough for second in the WCC.
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Senior goalkeeper Brendan Roslund has been outstanding in the net for the Dons, tallying 56 saves and a save percentage of .757 (fourth in the conference). He also has three shutouts under his belt this season.
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Diaz De Leon leads the team in points (10) and goals (4). He also has two assists on the season. He is tied for 10th in the conference in points and goals scored.
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Sophomore forward Miguel Aguilar is fourth in the WCC in shots taken with 51 and third in conference with 3.19 shots per game.
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Sophomore midfielder Taylor Krueger and junior forward Liam Kelly each have three assists on the season, good enough for a ninth-place tie in the conference standings.
FEARLESS LEADER:
Erik Visser is in his 35th season coaching with the Dons and 12th as Head Coach. He owns a career coaching record of 101-104-21. Visser earned his 100th coaching victory vs. Saint Mary's on October 5th, 2012, a 2-1 overtime USF victory.
QUOTABLE:
“It's a very dangerous situation. Gonzaga had at least five or six games that could have gone their way. It's really important for our guys to be alert and be focused because they're very capable of beating anybody, including us.” – On the Gonzaga Bulldogs
“They have a couple of very lethal strikers, especially Stevie Evans. He might be one of the best in the country. I thought we did a very good job containing him at Portland and we will have a similar game plan on Sunday.” – On the Portland Pilots
Gonzaga – BY THE NUMBERS:
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As a team, the Bulldogs rank third in the WCC in shots taken with 226 on the season. They also defend a lot of shots as the Bulldogs are tied for third in the conference in saves made with 67.
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Sophomore forward Clark Phillips is fifth in the conference in shots taken with 46, tied for sixth in goals scored with five and tied for seventh in points with 12 (five goals, two assists). Freshman forward Connor Bevans is tied for eighth place in the conference in shots taken with 30.
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Freshman midfielder Nikolai Littleton is tied for ninth in the WCC with three assists.
Portland – BY THE NUMBERS:
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As a team, the Pilots are very strong on offense. They lead the WCC in shots taken (257), goals made (31) and assists (29).
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The tandem of junior midfielder Stevan Evans and senior forward Ricardo Carrillo have combined for 45 points this season, 19 goals and seven assists. Evans is tied for the conference lead in goals scored with 14.
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Freshman forward/midfielder Jaime Velasco is tied for the WCC lead in assists with five on the season.
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Redshirt junior goalkeeper Justin Baarts is second in the conference in saves with 63, but he also been the most generous in the conference in goals allowed this season with 34.
