SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Continuing their winning ways on Sunday afternoon, the University of San Francisco men's soccer team (2-0) closed out their first week of action on a high note as the Dons topped Detroit Mercy (0-2), 2-1, at Negoesco Stadium.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Wasting no time out of the gates, San Francisco got on the scoreboard first when Constantinos Michaelides delivered a beautiful ball to the cutting Rylan Smith inside the box, who then headed home his first collegiate goal to put the Dons up 1-0 just 6:04 into play.
• Just a few minutes later, the offense continued to flow early as Gabriel Bracken Serra, who missed all of 2022 with a foot injury, scored his first goal of the year at the 12:20 mark to make it 2-0 in favor of the green and gold.
• In the 40^th minute, Detroit Mercy cut the score in half after a penalty kick goal by Alex Diac.
• Playing well on both sides of the ball, San Francisco did not allow Detroit Mercy to get off a shot during the run of play while also firing off eight total as a team themselves. Despite having a few more opportunities on target in the first 45 minutes, USF maintained their 2-0 advantage heading into the locker room at halftime.
• Aiming to pad their lead, Zane Alafranji and Olivier Sylvain ripped shots out of the break, but could not find the back of the net to extend the gap.
• As the match played on, each team aimed to impose their will as both sides continued attacking, but neither would go on to allow the other to score again.
• Holding the Titans to just two total shots in the second half, San Francisco kept Detroit Mercy at bay in the final 45 minutes as the green and gold went on to secure their second straight victory to open the season by a final score of 2-1.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Playing 84 minutes in just his second collegiate match, Smith fired two shots for the second straight game in addition to his first goal at the college level. Following the first week of action, Smith is tied for the team lead with two points while also sitting in second in shots (4).
• For Bracken Serra, his goal marked his first since he scored the team's lone goal in a 1-0 road victory at Omaha on Oct. 19, 2021.
• As a team, San Francisco has not allowed a goal through the run of play in their first four matches this season, which includes exhibition wins over Dominican University and Sonoma State. 

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full highlights of today's game, please click here.
• To view the full postgame interview with head coach Chris Brown, please click here.
• To view the full postgame interview with Rylan Smith, please click here. 

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will remain in the Bay Area as they hit the road this week for a matchup at San Jose State this upcoming Thursday, Aug. 31. Following this matchup with the Spartans, the Dons will return home to Negoesco Stadium to host UC Riverside (First Responders Day) at 4:00 pm on Sunday, Sept. 3. Live streaming and live statistics for both matches will be available via the team's schedule page. Tickets to Sunday's First Responders Day match vs. UC Riverside are available via usfdons.com/tickets or 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 - Corona - 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.