Men's Soccer | 9/2/2015 4:03:00 PM

COMING UP:
USF (0-2-0) vs. Canisius (1-1-0)
Friday, Sept. 4, 7 p.m. | Negoesco Stadium, San Francisco, Calif. 
Last Meeting: This will be the first meeting
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Live Video: TheW.tv

USF (0-2-0) vs. La Salle (1-1-0)
Sunday, Sept. 6, 2 p.m. | Negoesco Stadium, San Francisco, Calif.
Last Meeting: This will be the first meeting
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Live Video: TheW.tv

SAN FRANCISCO - The Dons return to Negoesco Stadium after opening the season with a pair of road losses this past weekend. USF will host Canisius in the 2015 home opener at 7 p.m. on Friday evening, followed by a 2 p.m. nonconference matchup with La Salle on Sunday. 

USF battled against No. 23 Penn State this past Friday, but lost 1-0 as the Nittany Lions netted the game-winner in the 72nd minute with a perfectly-placed cross into the box that proved to be the difference. From the opening kickoff, USF went head-to-head with Penn State in an evenly-contested matchup. Freshman Sean Bowman recorded a pair of shots, while Ryan Buckingham had a save, both of whom made their Dons debut.

The Dons then lost at West Virginia by a score of 6-0 this past Sunday. The Mountaineers took an early lead with goals in the fifth and seventh minutes and never looked back, building a 3-0 lead by halftime and adding three goals in the second frame. Freshman Andre Glasnovic tallied a pair of saves in goal in his first collegiate action.     

Live stats and a live video stream will be available for both matches this weekend via links on the men's soccer schedule page at USFDons.com. These matches will both be part of a men's/women's soccer doubleheader as the USF women will play prior to each men's game. Pat Olson will be on the call during the live video stream on Friday, while Charles Wollen will take the mic on Sunday.        

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Head coach Eddie Soto came into the season with a roster comprised primarily of underclassmen, and he's been putting his young players to work right off the bat. The Dons had four newcomers in the starting lineup for Friday's match at Penn State, and six for Sunday's contest at West Virginia.  

BACK IN THE MIX
After having a total of 10 All-WCC honorees last year, the Dons bring back six All-WCC performers in honorable mention selections Davi Ramos, Joshua Smith, Christian De Luna, Manny Padilla, Aaron Lombardi, and all-freshman selection Bryce Kaminski.    

TARGET ON THEIR BACKS
The Dons had the dubious honor of being picked to win the WCC title this season, as voted in the WCC Preseason Poll. USF captured two first-place votes, but was one of five teams to receive first-place votes, along with Saint Mary's (1), San Diego (2), LMU (2) and Santa Clara (1). The Dons finished in a tie with Saint Mary's for second place in the 2014 final standings.  

BLAZING THE TRAIL
Second-year head coach Eddie Soto has no qualms with taking his team on the road en route to building a strong non-conference schedule in 2015. USF will only enjoy six contests at Negoesco Stadium this year, but will face five NCAA Tournament teams from 2014 (Penn State, Stanford, Cal State Fullerton, San Diego, Cal). The Dons will also travel to face five teams ranked in the NSCAA Preseason Top-25: No. 23 Penn State (Aug. 28), No. 8 Stanford (Sept. 18), No. 16 Cal (Sept. 20), and Cal State Fullerton (Sept. 13) and New Mexico (Sept. 30), who are both receiving votes. 

BLUE CHIPS
Second-year head coach Eddie Soto and his staff made strides in building on last year's second-place WCC finish by going out and piecing together one of the nation's best recruiting classes. The Dons' 2015 class, made up of 12 newcomers (3 transfers/9 freshmen), was ranked No. 41 in the country by College Soccer News over the summer. Highlighting the well-rounded class is F Sean Bowman (Bothell, Wash. / Seattle Sounders Academy), who could grow into a prime offensive threat, and D Hunter Ashworth (Laguna Beach, Calif. / Pateadores Academy), a 6-foot-3 defender who was a member of the New Zealand Youth National Team and can provide a presence in the backfield. The Dons also brought in a pair of strong goalkeepers in junior transfer Ryan Buckingham (Westlake Village, Calif. / UMass-Amherst) and freshman Andre Glasnovic (Zagreb, Croatia / NK Zagreb) who will compete for the open keeper spot this season.  

ABOUT CANISIUS
2015 Record: 1-1-0
Key Notes: The Golden Griffins lost to Buffalo 4-2 on Tuesday...defeated the New Jersey Institute of Technology 1-0 at home in their season opener this past Sunday...Canisius outshot NJIT 20-7 in the match...Ryan Schroen was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Week...went 9-6-3 in 2014...this will be the first meeting between USF and Canisius.
Top Scorers: Chris Berardi (2 goals); Ryan Schroen (1 goal); Nicolo Baudo (9 shots) 
In Goal: Andrew Coughlin (2 starts / 2.00 GAA / 6 saves / 1 shutout)
Head Coach: Dermot McGrane (5th season)

ABOUT LA SALLE
2015 Record: 1-1-0
Key Notes: The Explorers topped Loyola at home 1-0 on Monday...lost to Bucknell 4-2 on the road in their season opener this past Friday...went 7-9-3 in 2014.   
Top Scorers: Tony Daniele (1 goal / 2 assists); Andrew Connors (1 goal); Joe Farrell (1 goal / 1 assist)
In Goal: Mike Kirk (2 starts / 2.00 GAA / 8 saves / 1 shutout)
Head Coach: Pat Farrell (29th season)

VS. THE MAAC
Canisius will be the first opponent the Dons have ever faced from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, which was formed in 1980. 

VS. THE A-10
The last time USF played an opponent from the Atlantic 10 was back on Sept. 4, 2004 when the Dons defeated UMass 3-1 on the road.