 |  |
No. 22 USF Men's Soccer Dispatches New Mexico 1-0 in Albuquerque
Sept. 5, 2009
(Albuquerque, NM) - Senior forward Conor Chinn scored the lone goal of the match in the 87th minute propelling USF to a thrilling 1-0 non-conference victory at New Mexico Saturday night in front of 2,005 people at the UNM Soccer Complex. The Dons (2-0-0) shook off a slow start to snap a two-match losing streak to the Lobos (1-1-0) in the series.
San Francisco's defense bent but did not break in the first half as New Mexico held a 5-3 shots advantage, two of them on frame. The Lobos outshot the Dons after the intermission as well by a 12-6 margin, but five of USF's nine shots in the match were on target, while UNM put just two on frame.
A preseason All-American, Chinn took a feed from junior forward Bryan Burke and beat Lobos' keeper Justin Fite (1-1-0) one-on-one for the scoring tally. For Chinn it was his 19th goal in his last 19 matches and his 10th career game-winner in the Green and Gold. It was the team-leading third assist of the season for Burke, who doubled his career total in the process.
"We got off to a really slow start and dodged some bullets in the first half, but we bounced back in the second half," USF head coach Erik Visser said. "Our fitness level showed as the match went on and our defense stepped up and Brendan Roslund played very well for us in goal. Conor Chinn again provided us with a big lift late in the game."
Freshman goalkeeper Brendan Roslund (1-0-0) played well in his collegiate debut and earned the shutout while making a pair of saves on 17 shots faced.
"This is a very tough place to play and get a result. We did a lot of growing up in this match against a very good team. The team is aware there is a long way to go. Cortez, Roslund and Levi were three players along with Chinn that really stepped up and had outstanding performances tonight," Visser said.
San Francisco returns to action when it hosts Sacramento State Friday, September 11. Match time against the Hornets is set for 7:00 PM at Negoesco Stadium.
NOTES: USF has outscored its opponents 5-1 during the 2009 season... New Mexico entered the match after a 3-0 triumph at No. 22 St. Louis on Tuesday... UNM defeated the Dons 2-0 in 2007 and won a 1-0 decision in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament in the closing seconds at Negoesco Stadium.
