SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Fighting with every possession, the University of San Francisco men's soccer team (5-6-3, 3-1-1 WCC) held their own against No. 4 San Diego on Wednesday night, but the Toreros narrowly bested the Dons, 1-0, at Negoesco Stadium.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• With defense taking center stage to begin the match, David Raphael fired the first shot for either team at 11:04 followed by the game's first shot on goal at 14:17, but the freshman was unable to convert to start.
• As the first half played on, Raphael logged two more shots in addition to Gabriel Bracken Serra and TJ Knight logging attempts for the green and gold. Unfortunately, none of these early chances proved to be fruitful.
• Heading into the locker room after the opening 45 minutes of action, San Francisco held an 8-2 shot advantage over San Diego despite the match remaining scoreless.
• Less than five minutes into the second half, the Toreros got on the scoreboard first as Luca Fava delivered the ball to Oliver Rhoades in the box, who then passed it to Steven Ramirez across the box before Ramirez punched it home to put San Diego up 1-0 at 49:32.
• Moving along, Kian Jones, Reid Roberts and Olivier Sylvain registered shots for the Dons in the minutes to follow, but none were able to push one past the opposing goalkeeper.
• Down the stretch, Brayden Beason, Bracken Serra, Isaiah Easley and Mason Dougherty continued to press offensively for the green and gold, but the Torero defense held. Despite one final chance in the closing seconds of the contest for San Francisco, San Diego was able to secure the 1-0 victory over the green and gold on Wednesday night. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Overall, San Francisco outshot San Diego 20-5, including a 7-1 advantage in shots on goal. Notably, this performance marked the fifth time this season the Dons have recorded 20 or more shots. Additionally, the green and gold have now outshot their opponent in 11 of their 14 matches this fall.
• Defensively, San Francisco allowed just one shot on goal for the third time this season against the Toreros.
• Tying each other for the match-high, Raphael and Sylvain each tallied a season-high four shots against San Diego.

POSTGAME WITH THE DONS:

• To view the full postgame interview with head coach Chris Brown, please click here.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will travel north to Corvallis this weekend as the Dons will square off against Oregon State for the first time in program history. Live streaming and live statistics 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 sponsor - Coca-Cola - 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.