University of San Francisco Athletics

Box Score

SAN FRANCISCO—The Dons took an early lead but Santa Clara rallied in the second half to come back and take the 2-1 victory at Negoesco Stadium on Senior Day Sunday afternoon.
 
"It was a game that we definitely deserved to win but in the big picture it comes down to a couple of mental mistakes here and there," San Francisco head coach Erik Visser said. "I give Santa Clara a lot of credit coming here. They did what they had to do to win"
 
"I'm proud of our guys. The seniors played well."
 
It was the final game for seven seniors, Mauricio Diaz De Leon, Liam Kelly, Tanner Smith, Michael Shaddock, Brady Jimison, Gerry Vera and Vegard Karlsen, and it was this group that led much of the way for the Dons on Sunday.
 
San Francisco and Santa Clara traded runs at the goal early on but it was the Dons who struck first.
 
Liam Kelly got Senior Day started when in the 12th minute he received a pass from Christian De Luna about five feet from the net and chipped it past Kendall McIntosh to go up 1-0. It was his second goal of the season.
 
Kelly nearly struck again in the 13th minute when his shot from about 30 yards out went just over the corssbar.
 
Santa Clara made a quick substitution in the 16th minute and it paid off immediately. Michael Gates, who had just checked into the game, scored from the left wing to tie the game 1-1.
 
The Dons came right back and had a golden opportunity in the 23rd minute. Mauricio Diaz De Leon delivered a corner kick into the box, which bounced back out to the senior midfielder and his shot was saved by McIntosh.
 
The battle waged on in the second half but neither team being able to break through.
 
In the 63rd minute, a cross into the box was collected by Joshua Smith who put a shot on goal and it bounced around in front of the net and appeared as if it may have gone in but play resumed with the Dons unable to get on the board.
 
With that second life, Santa Clara capitalized. In the 70th minute, USF's Kevin Gould and Santa Clara's Mark Daus leapt into the air for a header inside the penalty box, Daus hit the deck and a foul was called, forcing a penalty kick. Daus went top shelf with his shot and it gave the Broncos a 2-1 lead.
 
"It comes down to details and the second half we had one or two really good looks at the goal," Visser said. "I thought maybe one was a goal, and really out of nowhere we gave them an opportunity on a penalty kick and they took advantage of it."
 
The Dons had one final shot at tying the game. It came in the 82nd minute when a pass was delivered into a crowded box ad through the traffic Kelly was able to find a hole but the shot ricocheted off McIntosh before being cleared by the Broncos.
 
The Dons will wrap up the season with a trip to the Pacific Northwest to play Portland and Gonzaga.