SAN FRANCISCO – Year two under head coach Sara Doell promises to be an exciting one for the University of San Francisco women's golf program.  Coming off a season in which the Dons exceeded even their own expectations, 2018-19 should provide another giant leap forward as the program continues to build.
 
USF will participate in five events in the last of 2018, one more event than last fall.  The Dons will make return appearances at three events that they appeared in last year with two new events added on.  Once again, the Dons will play all over the west with an added trip to Minnesota playing at very different courses with different climates. 
 
"We have set up a very strong and diverse schedule for the fall," said head coach Sara. Doell. "We added a fifth event this year, and are playing in two new events that we did not compete in last year, the Minnesota Invitational and the Las Vegas Collegiate shootout.  While we have a young team this year with more underclassman than upperclassman, I believe we can be very competitive among these fields."
 
USF will open the fall schedule when it travels to Minnesota to participate at the Minnesota Invitational at the Prestwick Golf Course Sept. 10-11^th.  The Dons will square off against teams they don't typically compete against such as: North Texas, Kansas, Notre Dame, East Carolina, Louisville, Oklahoma, and Purdue. 
 
"We start our season off by heading to the Midwest to compete at Minnesota's event," said Doell.  "We are fortunate to play in some great events on the West Coast and the chance to travel to compete against some top teams from the East and Midwest gives us an extraordinary opportunity. This is the first time the team will compete here and I look forward to seeing the team excel at a new event"
 
The following week, the Dons will head to the Rockies to participate in the Ptarmigan Ram Classic hosted by Colorado State at the Ptarmigan Country Club on Sept. 17-19.  This is the second year in a row the Dons have played in the Ram Classic.  Last season, USF took third in the event after a strong finish on the third day.
 
"Last year, the team played excellent at this event and started off our year on a strong note. The golf course sets up really well for us as there a couple of reachable Par 5's as well as some great scoring opportunities on the par 4's. I think that we have the opportunity to come to this event and be very competitive in this field," said Doell.
 
The end of September will see USF return to Couer D'Alene, Idaho to participate in the Couer D'Alene Classic hosted by conference rival Gongazga.  The three day tournament will take place Sept. 23-25 and will be held at the Couer D'Alene Country Club.  Last season, the Dons took 11^th in a loaded field that featured several top-50 teams.
 
"After last year, I think the team will come to this event with the mindset of improving upon our 2017 result as we struggled," said Doell about the tournament. "This golf course is an extraordinary test of golf with some tight fairways and many holes that require smart course management and creativity. Now that we know the layout of this course, I think we will create a strong game plan for each athlete to take advantage of the scoring opportunities and be smart on some of the more difficult holes."
 
The Dons open the month of October in the Pacific Northwest at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational hosted by Washington at the Sahalee Country Club Octo. 9-10.  Last year, the Dons captured fourth, while Samantha Gong finished in the top-20. 
 
"Sahalee CC is one of the favorite courses that I have had the chance to coach on," said Doell. "The course is a great lay out with the typically features of a Pacific Northwest course- treelined holes with tight fairways and undulated greens. The weather at this time of year can be challenging and will likely add some adverse conditions, as well."
 
USF will wrap up its fall schedule in Las Vegas when UNLV hosts the Las Vegas Collegiate Shootout at Boulder Creek Golf Club Oct. 21-23.  This is the first time the Dons have appeared in this tournament.
 
"This is a new event for us this year and we are excited to head to the dessert to compete against a strong field to end our fall season!"
 
Following the Las Vegas Collegiate Shootout, the Dons will be off until the spring season.