Dons athletics was in full swing this week. Women’s soccer held their annual senior night as they finished their season against Saint Mary’s College of California. Men’s soccer played their last road game of the season against Gonzaga University, and women’s volleyball played the no. 2 ranked team in the nation, the University of San Diego Toreros.
The women’s soccer team honored their seniors with a win against Bay Area rival, Saint Mary’s Gaels. The Dons got the win with strong performances from seniors Keanna Roth and Megan Nail. The Gaels played a strong defensive match, but the Dons persevered. Senior defender Keanna Roth found the back of the net, late in the first half, off a corner from star sophomore Marissa Vasquez. The Dons held the lead as they went into the second half and took home the win behind the effort of senior goalkeeper Megan Nail, who secured her third straight clean sheet this season. The Dons finished the season with a six-game winning streak and finished with their first winning record since 2019.
Aside from the win, seniors of the women’s soccer team were honored with leis and flowers as they walked the field with their families before the start of the match. Some of the honored seniors included forwards Tia Catalano, Marie Marlow, Kaylin Lunsford, Ashley Jordan, defenders Samantha Curwood-Wagner, Catherine Hill, and goalkeeper Megan Nail.
The USF men’s soccer team was on the road in Spokane when they took on the Gonzaga Bulldogs. This was the Dons’ final road match of the season, and the Dons and Bulldogs battled hard for 90 minutes. For the first half of the match, it was high-energy and high-tempo as both teams had many chances to score, with the Dons outshooting the Bulldogs, nine to seven, in the first half, but both teams went into halftime scoreless. The Bulldogs scored first, with a penalty kick in the 47th minute. Later in the match, senior Arjan Dosanjh notched his fourth goal of the season in the 68th minute with a header assisted by Easton Harryman. Both teams aggressively went for goal for the rest of the match, but ultimately ended the game with a 1-1 draw. A star in this match was goalkeeper Eric Waltz who recorded five saves and is now leading the WCC in save percentage at .758 for the season.
Men’s soccer will host their senior night on Nov. 12, on the Hilltop at Negoesco Stadium when they take on the Toreros of the University of San Diego.
Women’s volleyball took on a tough opponent on the Hilltop, the University of San Diego Toreros. The Toreros rank second in the nation with an overall record of 22-1 and an undefeated conference record of 13-0. The Dons and Toreros battled hard from the first whistle, with the Dons keeping pace as they were within one point of the Toreros at 6-5. Later on, the green and gold continued to fight as they capitalized on an attack error by San Diego and remained in distance with a score of 12-9. San Diego would go on to win the first set 25-18. In the second set, the Dons looked to even the score with kills from Maria Petkova and Orsula Staka. San Diego took down the second set 25-19. In the final set, the Dons continued to chip away at the lead, with the Dons down 14-12 midway through the third set. The Dons eventually trimmed the deficit down to 18-17, but the Toreros didn’t let their foot off the gas. The Toreros answered with a 7-1 stretch and would win the third set and the match, 3-0.
The Dons will enter their final road trip of the season when they take on the University of Portland and the University of Gonzaga in the Pacific Northwest on Nov. 10 and 12.
USF students can attend home games for free with the use of their One Card.
