The Dons Men’s Soccer Team have kicked off their season with a 5-1-1 record, placing them second in West Coast Conference (WCC) standings, right behind the 5-0-1 Portland Pilots.
Their lone loss came on Aug. 24, in a 2-3 loss to #11 Indiana University at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
The team’s latest win came in a 3-0 victory versus Sacramento State on Sep. 15 at Negoesco Stadium. Three different Dons contributed to the scoring effort, beginning with a bottom right goal shot by senior forward Owen Benson in the 36th minute. Three minutes into the second half, senior forward Zane Alafranji added another point to the scoreboard off a breakaway. USF continued their attack to the very end, with junior defender Chris Maldonado converting a goal in the 87th minute of the game.
For the week of Sep. 9, USF made the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 list, placing #20 in the country. The team also made two consecutive appearances on the Top Drawer Soccer National Top 25 list also ranked 20th overall. With a strong start, the team hopes to continue its momentum heading into conference play.
Sophomore forward Brayden Beason said, “We are super excited heading into conference but we are taking it game by game and not trying to get ahead of ourselves and to focus on the bigger picture.”
Beason has led the offensive charge, tallying four made goals on 13 shots. His biggest game so far includes a two goal game versus San Jose State on Sep. 4.
Speaking on his performance offensively, Beason said, “I would credit everyone surrounding and supporting me on and off the field whether it’s at practice or one-on-one with the coaches.”
Last year, USF started the season 0-5-2, and had to climb their way back to a winning record for the rest of the season, finishing with a 7-6-2 record.
“We learned from our mistakes from last year of starting slow,” junior defender Rylan Smith said. “A major emphasis of this year was to come out ready to play at the start of the season. […] We’ve had a good start to the season, but there’s still a lot of things we can fix. We are excited to head into conference play, and we have guys coming back healthy.”
Smith was recently named to the Top Drawer Soccer Men’s Team of the Week for Sep. 9, which honored him for hitting his first goal of the season and helping USF in back to back shutouts against California State University Bakersfield (1-0) and San Jose State (3-0).
“My teammates make my job a lot easier,” Smith said. “I wouldn’t be getting the accolades without them, and I love being a part of this team.”
In the middle of a little less than a two-week break from the pitch, the team enters conference play at Negoesco Stadium against Oregon State University on Saturday, Sep. 27. Their following two matches include an away game against the University of San Diego on Oct. 4 and back home against Gonzaga University on Oct. 10.
