Box Score
SPOKANE, Wash. - Mauricio Diaz de Leon's two goals powered the San Francicso men's soccer team past Gonzaga 2-1 on Sunday afternoon at Gonzaga Soccer Field.
"Mauricio showed great leadership as a captain today and I'm proud of the way he stepped up," Head Coach Erik Visser said."He [Diaz de Leon] showed great creativity this afternoon and helped our team win a big match on the road."
With the victory, the Dons improve to 3-3-2 (1-1-0 WCC) and finish the month of September with an even 2-2-2 record. The Bulldogs fell to 4-5-0 (0-2-0 WCC) with the loss.
"I'm proud of our guys and the way they bounced back from a tough loss on Friday night," Visser said. "Gonzaga is a good team so it's a great to get our first WCC win, but we still need to improve in all aspects of our game. We competed really well on the road today."
The Dons jumped in front 1-0 on Diaz de Leon's second goal of the season in the 35th minute.
David Romney sent a ball from 40 yards out into the middle of the box and past the Bulldogs defense, allowing Diaz De Leon to strike an easy shot from 12 yards out. The goal marked the first for USF since
Michael Shaddock's 8th-minute strike against Boston College on Sept. 22.
USF would relinquish the lead five minutes later, as Gonzaga's Zach Hamer tied the game 1-1 on a penalty kick. Gonzaga forward Nate Pacheco was pulled down inside the box to setup the opportunity for the Bulldogs.
The score remain knotted at 1-1 until Diaz de Leon came alive again in the 71st minute, using his great ball skills and quickness to beat Bulldog goalkeeper Chris Lowrimore. Junior midfielder
Liam Kelly lofted a ball from the right wing to the feet of Diaz de Leon, who then turned and scored from 10 yards out. The San Diego, Calif. native's second goal of the game, and third of the season gave USF a 2-1 lead, which they would hold onto for the final 19 minutes.
Dons goalkeeper
Brendan Roslund recorded three saves on the afternoon and now has 29 in eight matches this season. The senior's goals against average is a staunch 0.92. San Francisco held a strong 14-to-8 shot advantage, led by
Miguel Aguilar's four. Kelly,
Jesus Del Toro, and Diaz de Leon each added two shots.
The Dons return to action on October 5 in their West Coast Conference home opener against local rival Saint Mary's at 7:00 p.m. The USF Athletic Department is proud to promote Harper For Kids Appreciation Night. The match also marks the men's soccer team's only WCC RESPRESENT game of the season.
