Dons Overcome Two-Goal Deficit to Defeat Golden Bears

Saturday, September 12

Davis, Calif.

7:00 PM

University of San Francisco

3-3-1, 0-0-0

UC Davis

0-5-2, 0-0-0

Team	1	2	Final F
San Francisco	3	3	6
UC Davis	0	0	0

Game Notes

Photo by: Christina Leung

9/16/2026 9:50:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Behind three unanswered second-half goals, the University of San Francisco (USF) men's soccer team (4-3-1) erased a two-goal deficit to defeat California, 3-2, on Wednesday night in front of a sold-out crowd at Negoesco Stadium. Freshman Sammy Long capped off the comeback in the 70th minute, scoring his first collegiate goal to give San Francisco its first lead of the night after David Raphael and Brayden Beason each found the back of the net earlier in the second half.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

California struck first in the eighth minute as Noe Morales found the bottom right corner to give the Golden Bears an early 1-0 advantage.
The Golden Bears doubled their lead in the 24th minute when Kieran Bracken Serra found the back of the net, sending San Francisco into halftime trailing, 2-0.
Coming out of the break, the Dons immediately began applying pressure in the attacking third, earning a corner kick in the 50th minute before Beason generated another opportunity shortly after.
San Francisco broke through at 54:28 when David Raphael buried a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner off an assist from Chris Maldonado, cutting California's advantage to 2-1.
Continuing to push forward, Raphael helped create the equalizer at 64:46, finding Beason, who headed the ball into the right corner to level the match at two.
Less than five minutes later, San Francisco completed the comeback. Following back-to-back corner kicks, Long found the bottom center of the net at 69:23 off assists from Beason and Raphael to give the Dons their first lead of the night, 3-2.
San Francisco continued to attack after taking the lead, generating multiple chances over the ensuing minutes as the Dons looked to extend their advantage.
Lucas Jones and the San Francisco back line held firm down the stretch, keeping California off the scoreboard for the entirety of the second half to secure the 3-2 victory.
The comeback marked the first time in the last 20 years that San Francisco overcame a 2-0 deficit to earn a victory.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

Raphael recorded his fifth goal of the season while also assisting on both of San Francisco's final two goals.
Beason tallied his second goal of the season and added an assist on Long's game-winning goal.
Long's 70th-minute strike marked the first collegiate goal of the freshman's career and ultimately stood as the game winner.
Jones finished the match with three saves while holding California scoreless throughout the second half.
As a team, San Francisco recorded 11 shots on goal in the victory.
The Dons scored three unanswered goals between the 55th and 70th minutes to erase the two-goal halftime deficit.

UP NEXT:
San Francisco will begin a three-match road stretch on Sunday, Sept. 20, when the Dons travel to Bakersfield, Calif., to face CSU Bakersfield at CSUB Main Soccer Field. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. and the match will be streamed live on ESPN+. Live streaming, live statistics and additional information are available via the team's schedule page.

FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on San Francisco men's soccer, follow @USFDonsMSoccer on X, @USFDonsMensSoccer on Instagram, and University of San Francisco Men's Soccer on Facebook.

MERCHANDISE:
Rep the green and gold! Shop official San Francisco Dons gear at the University of San Francisco bookstore. Click here to purchase.

SPONSOR THE DONS:
The University of San Francisco Athletics Department thanks its sponsor - San Francisco T oyota - for its continued support of San Francisco Athletics.