The University of San Francisco men's soccer team begins its 2018 season on Friday when the Dons host CSUN at 7:00 p.m. at Negoesco Stadium. They continue their home opening weekend when San Diego State comes to town for a 3:00 p.m. contest on Sunday.
GAME 1 INFORMATION
Date/Time: Aug. 24, 2018 – 7:00 p.m.
Opponent: CSUN (0-0-0, 0-0-0 Big West)
Site: San Francisco (Negoesco Stadium)
Audio: None
VIDEO: TheW.tv
Talent: Charles Wollin (Play-by-Play) and Joe Dugan (Analyst)
Live Stats: USFDons.com
GAME 2 INFORMATION
Date/Time: Aug. 26, 2018 – 3:00 p.m.
Opponent: San Diego State (0-0-0, 0-0-0 Pac-12)
Site: San Francisco (Negoesco Stadium)
Audio: None
VIDEO: TheW.tv
Talent: Charles Wollin (Play-by-Play) and Joe Dugan (Analyst)
Live Stats: USFDons.com
WHAT'S THE STORY
• The Dons were picked to finish tied for fourth in the WCC in the preseason coaches' poll. Seniors
Sean Bowman and
Santiago Digiuseppe were named to the 2018 Preseason All-WCC Team
• USF is currently receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.
• USF is coming off a spectacular 2017 campaign that saw the Dons win the WCC Crown and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
• The Dons add 14 new players to the roster. Key returners include Bowman and Digiuseppe – the top two returning scorers--as well as
Matt Orr,
Jorge Ruiz,
David Polson,
Bar Twito,
Noah Leong,
Tawwab Emiola and keeper
Ruben Stuiver.
TOMORROW'S GAME
On Friday, USF will host Big West foe CSUN for a Friday night contest. CSUN was picked to finish third in the Big West Preseason Poll, behind Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara. The Matadors' lone representative on the preseason All-Conference team was Andrew Rizeq, who earned second team all-conference honors in 2017. The Matadors return 14 letter winners and eight starters from last year's squad that finished 10-9-2 overall and 4-4-2 in the Big West.
THE SERIES
Friday will be the 12
th meeting between the Dons and Matadors, with USF owning a 9-2 advantage in the series. The last time these two teams played each other came on Sept. 24, 2010 with the Dons coming away with a 2-1 win over CSUN in double overtime.
SUNDAY'S GAME
The Aztecs, members of the Pac-12 conference in soccer, will play their second game in the Bay Area. On Friday they begin the 2018 season against Santa Clara at Stevens Stadium – Buck Shaw Field. The Aztecs are coming off a 6-13-0 season and lost their top three goal scorers from last year. They do return Pablo Pelaez who was named to the All-Pac-12 Preseason Team as voted on by the league's head coaches.
THE SERIES
Sunday's contest will be the 17
th time the Dons and Aztecs have faced each other. USF owns an 11-4-1 advantage in the series. Last season, USF defeated SDSU 2-1 at the Sports Deck.
UP NEXT
The Dons will continue their non-conference slate of games against Pac-12 foes when they travel to Westwood to take on UCLA on Sunday, Sep. 2 at 7:00 p.m. After that, USF returns home to take on the defending national champion Stanford Cardinal under the lights of Negoesco Stadium on Friday, Sep. 9 at 7:00 p.m.
