University of San Francisco Athletics

Box Score

SAN FRANCISCO—The Dons struggled to score goals last season and did not wait to make amends in their season opener on Friday night.
 
USF got goals from Mauricio Diaz De Leon and David Garrett in the first five minutes and carried that early momentum to the 2-0 win over LIU Brooklyn.
 
"In the preseason the guys worked so hard," Head Coach Erik Visser said. "They've been anticipating this first game. We came out with a lot of urgency."
 
In the fourth minute, the freshman forward Garrett received a pass from Michael Shaddock in the box and put it in the back of the net to get USF on the board. In his excitement, Garrett ripped off his shirt in celebration.
 
The Dons (1-0-0) turned that excitement into another scoring opportunity less than a minute later when the team earned a penalty kick and Diaz De Leon took full advantage. The senior midfielder, who scored five goals last season, got the ball past LIU goalkeeper John Connolly to give USF the 2-0 lead.
 
After the first two goals, USF appeared to become complacent and Visser said it could have come from being in an unfamiliar place.
 
LIU (0-1-0) took three of its four shots on the night in the second half and one of which was a shot from Nathan Stewart that hit the post.
 
"I thought after the first two goals we took the foot a little bit off the gas pedal and we allowed them to get into a little bit of a rhythm," Visser said. "We haven't been in many situations where we were up 2-0. It's kind of new territory for us. I think it came so early in the game that the guys really didn't know how to deal with it."
 
Garrett was not the only newcomer to get a start for USF. Freshman Christian De Luna and transfers Irving Ventura-Rafaela and Chase Hauser also made their first starts for the Green and Gold.
 
Hauser recorded two saves and his first shutout as a Don.
 
The Dons will have a quick turnaround his weekend and will take on Air Force on Sunday. The Falcons (0-1-0) dropped its season opener to WCC rival Saint Mary's 3-1 on Friday.
 
"We're going to use more guys and really test out depth," Visser said. "I think this team has more depth than previous years. This Sunday will show how deep we are. The Air Force team is definitely a step up."
 
Air Force reached the NCAA Tournament last season.
 
NEXT MATCH
Sunday, Sept. 1
Opponent: Air Force (0-1-0)
Location: Negoesco Stadium
Time: 2 p.m.
Coverage: USFDons.com (Video, Live Stats)