SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The USF men's soccer team saved the best for last on Sunday evening at Stevens Stadium as the Dons (3-9-0, 1-0-0) rode a 90th-minute goal by David Garrett to a 2-1 win over Santa Clara in the WCC opener for both teams. USF scored twice in the final eight minutes of action and overcame a penalty kick equalizer by the Broncos (5-7-0, 0-1-0) in the 85th minute to earn their first road victory of the season.  

"Ecstatic!" said head coach Eddie Soto about his feelings after the win, USF's first since Sept. 6. "We didn't have a very good first half. We haven't played in 11 days, so it's understandable to be a little rusty. But what I was proud of was that we didn't give up a goal [in the first half]. We rolled up our sleeves when we needed to and we made some adjustments. Kamron [Crow] came off the bench for us and did well. Overall, defensively we were really good." 

The whirlwind finale started with Santiago Digiuseppe's score in the 82nd minute when Kamron Crow sent a firm cross into the box from the left wing that Davi Ramos was able to head backwards toward Digiuseppe, who delivered a bullet from the right edge of the 18-yard box about 15 yards out that screamed past SCU keeper Kendall McIntosh to stake the Dons a late 1-0 advantage and give Digiuseppe his second goal of the year. 

However, the jubilation was short lived as the Dons were whistled for a penalty inside the box on a rough tackle, setting up the penalty kick opportunity which SCU's Max Ornstil punched into the left corner of the net to tie the contest at 1-1 in the 85th minute. 

"The thing that I take away more than anything," added Soto, "is that we've had some bad luck this season and it happened again in the 85th minute. But we didn't break, we didn't give in. We pulled together that's what you want to see from a young team. We could have easily just fallen into our shell, but we came together tonight."

Just as the match looked destined for overtime, Garrett lifted the Dons to victory with his team-best third goal of the season. Garrett made a run down the right wing and was wide open when Digiuseppe led him perfectly into the box with a through ball, where Garrett slotted the uncontested left-footed strike into the far corner from 15 yards out for the game winner.     

Garrett had two shots on the night, both of which were on goal. 

Despite the wild ending, the contest was characterized by a rather plodding, back-and-forth pace for much of the match. Even though Santa Clara held a decisive 17-4 edge in shots on the night, very few of them were clean looks against the USF defense. Only six of the Broncos' shots were on goal, while all four of the Dons' attempts were on frame.  

The Broncos had their best chance of the first half in the trailing minutes when Alfred Edmonds took a shot in heavy traffic right in front of the USF net, but Don keeper Andre Glasnovic batted it away. Edmonds followed up the rebound with a high looping shot he tried to drop over the USF defense, however Christian De Luna was there to head the ball away right before it crossed the goal line. Finally, Parker Holland made a third and final attempt for SCU, but his shot was blocked, giving Digiuseppe a chance to clear the ball from the scrum in front of the net and prevent the score. 

Glasnovic turned in a five-save night in goal for the Dons. 

USF returns to its home pitch this weekend when the Dons host Pacific at 7 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 3 p.m. home match against Saint Mary's on Sunday.