SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Making a statement for the second straight year, the University of San Francisco men's soccer team (4-5-3, 2-0-1 WCC) dominated on the pitch on Thursday night as the Dons upset No. 2 Stanford (8-2-3, 3-0-3 ACC) in front of a sold out crowd at Negoesco Stadium.
Notably, the victory marked the second year in a row in which the green and gold have defeated a Stanford team ranked in the top 10.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Familiar with each other's game, San Francisco logged the opening shot of the match at 6:15 as Alex Solomis recorded his first attempt against the Cardinal.
- Coming off the bench, David Raphael provided a much-needed spark, netting his third goal of the season at the 34 minute mark off a pass across the face of the goal from Gabriel Bracken Serra.
- Just six minutes later, Raphael put another shot on frame but was sent away by the Cardinal goalkeeper, Rowan Schnebly. Ending the half on a high note, San Francisco outshot Stanford 5-3, with Bracken Serra and Isaiah Easley logging shots in the first 45 minutes.
- Coming out fast at the start of the second half, Stanford recorded a shot just three minutes into the final 45 as it looked to get on the scoreboard. In a back-and-forth battle between the teams on the attack, Zane Alafranji recorded two shots on goal, both saved, alongside shots by Bracken Serra and Raphael.
- Solidifying the advantage for the green and gold, Brayden Beason found the back of the net on another assist from Bracken Serra to put the Dons ahead, 2-0, in the 78th minute.
- The Cardinal looked to respond and followed with multiple shots, but a strong defensive effort from the Dons kept their opponent off the scoreboard.
- In the later stages of the game, Bracken Serra continued to be aggressive offensively, producing a solid attempt on goal in the 82nd minute.
- Despite a last-second push from Stanford, San Francisco held its advantage until the final whistle blew, securing the 2-0 win.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
- Beason notched his team-leading fourth goal of the season while finding the back of the net for the second time in the last three games. Coming off the bench, the true freshman logged 58 minutes and recorded three shots.
- Raphael also came off the bench, providing a spark for the Dons, playing 68 minutes and scoring his third goal of the season. He also tallied a game-high three shots on target, setting a new season-high for shots on goal.
- Bracken Serra recorded a season-high two assists in the victory and led the team in shots with four. He now leads the team and ranks tied for second in the WCC in assists with five, with three coming in the last two games.
- As a team, San Francisco outshot Stanford 14-13 with five shots on goal. For the fourth game in a row and the 10th time this season, the Dons outshot their opponent.
POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:
UP NEXT:
San Francisco returns to WCC play when it travels to face LMU on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 7:00 p.m. at Sullivan Field in Los Angeles. Live streaming and live statistics links are available via 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.
MERCHANDISE:
Want to dress like the Dons? Get your official San Francisco Dons gear from the University of San Francisco bookstore today!
Click here to purchase.
SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department would like to acknowledge and thank our primary sponsor -
Provident Credit Union - for their continued support of San Francisco 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.
