The USF men’s soccer team defeated Stanford, formerly ranked second in the nation (2-0) on Oct. 17, in a sold out Negoesco Stadium. Prior to the Thursday night game, the Cardinal team held a record of 8-1-3, holding victories over other nationally ranked teams including Clemson University and the University of Notre Dame.
Freshmen forwards David Raphael and Brayden Beason led the scoring output, with Raphael netting a goal 34 minutes in, and Beason following 77 minutes in. The team dominated the shots on goal count (5-0), and led the total shot count (14-13). With the win, the Dons remain undefeated at home, and push their win streak to four after a 0-5-2 start.
“We’ve been prepared for this game the whole season. That’s always [been] on our mind” Raphael said. “We won tonight, we celebrate tonight, and then we put our heads up to the next game.”
Head Coach Chris Brown said, “It’s an upset, but to our team, I don’t think it was an upset. We’ve had the belief all year. We’ve dealt with adversity, we had a rough stretch, and we beat them last year, so we [knew] we could do it.”
When asked about Raphael and Beason’s performances, Brown said, “It always takes freshmen awhile to get adjusted to college soccer, some longer than others, but those two have been doing it all year, and they’re getting more comfortable in the system,” he said. “They’re great teammates and the guys embrace them. They’re two amazing players that we’re very fortunate to have.”
While the on pitch performance was the leading factor in achieving victory, Dons players pointed towards the impact the sold out crowd had on the game. Students, parents and children cheered and showed their support for the team throughout the game.
“We need that. It’s amazing to have these fans, especially [with] a good night at the Negoesco Stadium. We need them to keep showing out,” Raphael said.
Sophomore midfielder Alex Solomis said, “There was no way we weren’t winning that game. It was an electric atmosphere, and the energy and love we got from the crowd was contagious on the field.” According to Solomis, sold out crowds at home are rare. He recalls the last time the stadium was sold out for one of their games was on Sept. 10 against The University of California, Berkeley in the 2023 season.
Hailey Jose, a junior media studies major who worked the concession stand at the game, said, “The crowd and atmosphere was definitely the most energetic and entertaining it’s ever been. When they scored the first goal, I got startled [by] how loud everyone was cheering,” she said. “The concession line was the busiest it’s ever been for a soccer game that I’ve ever worked, we sold out of almost everything.”
Senior midfielder Gabriel Bracken Serra, who assisted both USF’s goals, said, “You can really feel the energy when you are out there playing. I was just so happy for all my teammates and proud for where the program is at and where it is headed.”
Following the game, many fans in the crowd, mainly children and students, rushed to the center of the pitch to celebrate with the team. Most of the children were either kids involved in youth soccer clubs around the Bay Area, or that of USF parents.
Solomis said, “We were all buzzing. To see all those kids running around asking for signatures and pictures and being able to make them happy made that night even more special. That just topped off a great night.”
With a dominant win over Stanford, the team hopes to continue this momentum into their final five regular season games, all of which are West Coast Conference (WCC) matchups. Their closing schedule consists of an away game vs Loyola Marymount University (LMU) on Oct. 26, a home game against the University of San Diego on Oct. 30, and road games vs Oregon State University on Nov. 3 and Saint Mary’s College on Nov. 9. They finish off at the Hilltop vs the University of Santa Clara on Nov. 16.
“That’s a massive stretch for our conference title hopes and that’s been the goal all along,” Brown said. “We control our destiny in [the] conference, the only game that matters right now is LMU.”
Regarding the team’s final home games, Bracken Serra said, “Selling out those games will definitely help us, and it will be a lot of fun. Let’s get it packed again versus San Diego!”
Students can attend home games at the Negoesco Field for free using their One Card.
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