Nov. 9, 2008

Final Stats

(Moraga, CA) - Conor Chinn scored his 13th goal of the season in the 111th minute of the second overtime period, staking USF to a 1-0 West Coast Conference victory against ancient Bay Area rival Saint Mary's Sunday afternoon at Saint Mary's Stadium. The Dons (8-8-2, 6-3-1 WCC) collect their first overtime victory of the season and secure a season split against the Gaels (4-9-4, 3-4-3 WCC).

With 19 points, USF moves into a share of first place in the WCC standings heading into the final weekend with Gonzaga. Portland took a 3-2 victory against visiting San Diego and the Bulldogs seized a 2-1 home triumph against Loyola Marymount in Sunday action.

Chinn finally broke the scoreless deadlock just into the second overtime session, taking a brilliant feed from junior forward Justin Kendro and sent it to the far post for the decisive tally. For Chinn it was his fifth game-winner of the season and third during league play. With 13 goals this season, the San Diego product has tallied the most goals by a Don since two-time First Team All-American Staale Soebye recorded 15 in 1994.

"This was a great win for us today," USF head coach Erik Visser said. "I thought we dominated the game, but Saint Mary's is a tough opponent. It's very difficult to win in Moraga, so it is very satisfying to get the win. The team was very determined to come out on top and worked very hard to get the road victory. The team is very well aware of the importance of taking it one game at a time. We are now focused on Friday's match at San Diego."

San Francisco owned a 25-6 shot advantage for the contest. Chinn and freshman forward Felipe Cabrera each recorded a match-high six. The Dons also took 10 corner kicks compared to just three for the Gaels. Yousef Samy recorded a pair of shots to lead Saint Mary's.

Senior goalkeeper Jeremy Coupe recorded his conference-leading seventh shutout of the season, six of them coming during league contests. With his seventh sheeting of the season, Coupe has recorded the most in a single-season since former standout Geremy Uhl recorded 10 in 2005. With his sixth league shutout, Coupe moves into a share of first place on the WCC single-season records list for WCC games with Portland's Austin Guerrero, who tallied six last season.

USF held a dominant 23-6 shot advantage in regulation, 15 of them on target. Saint Mary's Jason Badger recorded 12 saves in 90 minutes. Five Dons recorded at least three shots in regulation led by six from freshman forward Felipe Cabrera, four of them on frame.

San Francisco created several good scoring opportunities in the first half and held a 8-3 shot advantage with five attempts on frame. The Dons had a goal nullified on an offsides call during a melee in the box. Chinn led USF with three shots in the first half, two on target, while Williams added two shots on frame.

With the win, USF improves to an impressive 3-0-1 on the road during league play.

USF returns to action when it travels to Southern California for a pair of crucial matches to close out the league and regular season. The Dons take on league-leading San Diego Friday, November 14. Game time is set for 7:00 PM at Torero Stadium.