SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Back at home to begin the regular season, the University of San Francisco men's soccer team rode the strength of a Max Hamelink goal and team defense to a 1-0 victory over Utah Tech on opening night at Negoesco Stadium.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Coming out firing, Olivier Sylvain rocketed his first shot as a Don just 3:30 into the contest, which also notched the game's first shot from either team.
• After a yellow card by the Trail Blazers in the 19^th minute, UCLA Transfer Constantinos Michaelides tallied San Francisco's first shot on goal of the year, but was turned away by goalkeeper Stockton Short as Utah Tech kept the game scoreless early.
• As the half played on, each side saw their share of opportunities to convert, but neither team could find the back of the net in the first 45 minutes of action. During the first half, the Dons outshot the Trail Blazers as a team, 7-3.
• Out of the break, Eric Waltz notched a save to keep Utah Tech off the board at 46:26 before Hamelink attempted a shot of his own a few moments later at 50:28.
• Continuing to attack and apply pressure, Michaelides drove down the right side of the pitch and fired another shot at 63:35, which was quickly denied by Short near the net once more. However, this time around, Hamelink was in the perfect position to track the ricochet off Short's save and punch home his first goal of the year to give the Dons a 1-0 advantage in the 64^th minute.
• Down the stretch, the match became chippy as yellow cards flew on each side, but the green and gold wer
• After Waltz denied Utah Tech's final shot attempt at 87:57, the Dons held steady to secure the 1-0 victory and complete their first clean sheet of the season.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Picking up where they left off, Hamelink netted his eighth career goal as a Don on Thursday night after racking up a team-high seven goals in 2022.
• In the cage, Waltz tallied five saves in his first action of the year as he recorded his fourth career shutout on the Hilltop with tonight's victory.
• Under head coach Chris Brown, San Francisco improves to 3-0 in season/home openers with the win over Utah Tech. 

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full highlights of tonight's match, please click here.
• To view the full postgame interview with head coach Chris Brown, please click here.
• To view the full postgame interview with Max Hamelink, please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will remain at home on the Hilltop as they will welcome Detroit Mercy to Negoesco Stadium this Sunday, Aug. 27 at 1:00 pm. Live streaming of Sunday's match will be available via ESPN+ while live statistics will be available via Statbroadcast. Tickets for Sunday's matchup are available via usfdons.com/tickets. Live stream, live statistics and ticket links can also be found on the team's schedule page.
 
FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the San Francisco men's soccer program, be sure to follow @USFDonsMSoccer on Twitter, @USFDonsMenssoccer on Instagram and @USFDonsMSoccer on Facebook.

SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor - Nike - for their continued support of USF Athletics. Interested in sponsoring the Dons? Please contact Frank Allocco, the Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director of External Relations, at fallocco@usfca.edu or at (415) 422-4561.