October 29, 2009

USF Men's Soccer Hosts League-Leading No. 18 San Diego and Loyola Marymount in Key WCC Battles

Oct. 29, 2009

UP NEXT FOR THE DONS: After posting a split during the third week of West Coast Conference play, USF continues its four-game homestand Friday, October 30 against league-leading No. 18 San Diego at Negoesco Stadium. The match against the Toreros (10-4-0, 6-1-0 WCC) opens the second half of WCC play. The Dons then welcome Loyola Marymount to the Hilltop. The Lions (7-7-1, 2-4-1 WCC) handed USD its only league loss of the season last week. The Dons went 0-2-0 on the road in Southern California in the opening week of the 2009 WCC slate, dropping a 3-2 overtime decision to LMU and then fell 1-0 at San Diego.

USF SOCCER SECURES PROGRAM VICTORY NO. 750 vs. SANTA CLARA: One of the most storied programs in NCAA Division I history, USF reached another rarefied milestone when it collected program victory No. 750 in a 2-0 shutout triumph against ancient Bay Area rival Santa Clara (10/9/09). Since soccer's "modern era" began on the Hilltop in 1946, the Dons own a 751-285-94 overall record. UCLA (857) is the only Division I program with more all-time victories.

CHINN NAMED TO PRESEASON HERMANN AWARD WATCH LIST: After turning in one of the most prolific offensive seasons in USF history, senior striker Conor Chinn was named to the 2009 Hermann Trophy Watch List presented annually to the top player in collegiate soccer. The reigning West Coast Conference Player of the Year and 2009 Preseason All-American enjoyed a record-setting 2008 campaign, scoring 17 goals, including six game-winners, propelling the Dons to the 2008 WCC Championship. A 2008 All-Far West Region selection, Chinn ranked No. 8 among national Division I leaders in goals per game (0.81) and was No. 17 in points (1.67). His 17 tallies were the most by a USF player since Tor Sveen recorded 17 in 1982 and tied for second on the single season list with Sveen, Dag Olavsen (1978) and Alex Nwosu (1977). Chinn enters the seventh week of his senior season with 32 goals, 10 game-winners, 10 assists and 74 points in 69 career matches.

HOW SWEDE IT IS: Three Swedish players are making a big impact for USF this season on the Dons' "United Nations" roster. Senior midfielder Jonathan Levi (Varberg) rates second in points with 10 (three goals, four assists). A 2008 All-West Coast Conference Second Team selection, Levi scored the game-winner for the Dons against No. 22 Portland (10/16/09). A two-year starter, sophomore defender Victor Wennberg (Boras) has started all 13 matches for the Dons in 2009. Freshman forward Oscar Englund (Enskede) provided the game-winner for San Francisco in the season-opening 4-1 triumph against UMKC (9/1/09).

NEGOESCO TO BE INDUCTED INTO BASHOF: After winning championships at nearly every level possible, USF soccer legend Steve Negoesco will be inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame along with four other sports icons Monday, March 22, 2010 at the Westin St. Francis Hotel. The NSCAA Hall of Fame coach spent 38 years as the head coach at the University of San Francisco, directing the Dons to a then NCAA record 540 career wins and five NCAA Championships. Negoesco will be enshrined with Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis, Olympic figure skating champion Brian Boitano, baseball great Bert Campaneris and ex-49er receiver R.C. Owens. Negoesco is the first inducted for the sport of soccer.

USF HEAD COACH Erik Visser: USF head coach Erik Visser took a young, inexperienced team featuring just five seniors and 11 upperclassmen to the 2008 West Coast Conference Championship. The conference crown is the third for the Dons in the last five seasons under Visser and the NCAA Tournament berth is the fourth for the Green and Gold in five campaigns. After guiding San Francisco to consecutive West Coast Conference titles (2004-05), Visser and the Dons secured a runner-up finish in 2006 with a 12-7-1 overall record, while playing a schedule rated in the top-10 nationally. From 2004-06, USF recorded a 37-17-6 record and recorded the most league victories (22) during the span.

VISSER'S CHAMPIONSHIP CREDENTIALS: A three-time WCC Coach of the Year (2004-05, 2008), Visser owns deep ties to the soccer program at the University of San Francisco. A defender on two USF NCAA Championship teams (1978, 1980), Visser spent 19 seasons as an assistant coach under soccer legend Steve Negoesco before taking the reigns as head coach for the 2001 campaign. Along the way, Visser also started the women's soccer program on the Hilltop in 1985 and served as head coach for six years. Visser is active in the USA National Team program and served as the top assistant for the U-20 team that finished 13th in the 2001 Youth World Cup in Argentina. Visser recorded his 50th career victory at Portland (11/10/05) and owns an overall mark of 84-72-12. Former Dons standout Josh McKay is in his seventh season as top assistant coach and fourth as an associate head coach, while Tyler Gottschalk is in his sixth campaign as an assistant. Chris Carniato enters his third season on the coaching staff.

USF ONCE AGAIN FEATURES THE UNITED NATIONS LINEUP: USF men's soccer boasts a long and distinguished history of drawing outstanding players from throughout the world and the 2009 squad is no exception. This year's squad features players from no fewer than seven countries and four continents. The country roll call features 27 players from the United States, three Dons from Sweden, and one each from Canada, Colombia, Holland, Jamaica and Japan.

DONS SOCCER ON THE NET THIS WEEK: USF's West Coast Conference matches against league-leading No. 18 San Diego and Loyola Marymount will feature GameTracker live scoring and streaming audio/video courtesy of Yahoo Broadcast. Both features can be accessed on the USFDons.com main page under the events tab. The Dons are proud to offer streaming audio and video for the seventh consecutive season.

DONS TACKLE THE BRONCOS ON FOX SOCCER CHANNEL: USF makes its second nationally televised appearance in three seasons when it squares off against ancient Bay Area rival Santa Clara Friday, November 6 at Buck Shaw Stadium in the NSCAA National Game of the Week. Kick-off against the Broncos will be at 8:00 PM in a live telecast on Fox Soccer Channel. The Dons took on the then fourth-ranked Broncos in 2007 in the South Bay and dropped a hard-fought 2-1 decision in a thrilling match.

QUOTING VISSER: "We are very proud to be a part of this national television package. It shows that we have established ourselves among the top programs in the country. Our players have earned this by the success that we have had over the past three seasons. Of course, the USF-Santa Clara rivalry has a great history, and we are excited that soccer fans across the country will have a chance to see it live."

NON-CONFERENCE REVIEW: USF posted a 3-3-1 overall record during the non-conference schedule and after scoring just three goals during the non-conference schedule a year ago en route to a 2-5-1 record, the Dons have rebounded for eight goals in 2009 pre-conference play. San Francisco achieved a ranking as high as No. 16 after posting an impressive 1-0 road triumph at New Mexico (9/5). The Dons capped the pre-conference slate with a 1-1 home deadlock against No. 25 Brown (9/27).

PLENTY OF BONUS SOCCER: Sometimes 90 minutes is not enough action for USF soccer. San Francisco finally broke through for its first overtime victory of the 2009 campaign with a dramatic 2-1 double-overtime victory against San Jose State (9/25)After a overtime loss at Loyola Marymount (10/2) the Dons fell to 1-2-1 in extra time this season. San Francisco posted a 1-4-2 slate in "bonus soccer" matches last season. In 2007, the Dons played three extra session contests and went 2-0-1, highlighted by a 2-1 double overtime decision at Stanford (9/16) and a scoreless draw at San Diego (10/21). San Francisco played four matches requiring an additional period in 2006 and posted a 2-1-1 overall record and went 1-1-1 in matches needing both overtime sessions. This was in sharp contrast to the 2005 season when the Dons played a remarkable seven matches that reached double overtime and registered a 2-1-4 overall record, 1-1-3 during West Coast Conference play. Since the start of 2004, USF owns a 9-8-10 slate during "bonus soccer" matches.

WINNING THE CLOSE ONES: San Francisco has been tough in matches decided by one goal the last four-plus seasons and 2009 is proving no exception. The Dons own a 3-5 record in matches with a one-goal margin. USF played a whopping 12 contests decided by a one goal margin in 2008 and posted a 5-7 slate, but won five of its last eight to end the season. The Dons posted a 6-8 record in tight matches in 2007. USF played 13 matches in 2006 decided by one goal, posting an 8-5 record in those contests. The Dons defense allowed a maximum of two goals only five times in 2006. Dating back to October of the 2003 campaign, USF owns a 39-34 ledger in one goal matches, including a 5-4 mark in 2005.

ROAD WARRIORS: San Francisco has proven tough on the road and since the start of the 2005 season owns a 23-20-2 record in true away matches, while posting a 16-13-2 slate in West Coast Conference road tilts since the start of the 2004 campaign. The Dons are 3-2-2 at neutral sites during the same span. USF posted a sparkling 4-1-1 WCC road record in 2008.

FIVE RETURNING DONS EARN ALL-WCC HONORS: USF welcomes back five players who captured All-West Coast Conference honors a year ago, including 2008 WCC Player of the Year Conor Chinn. Senior midfielders Jonathan Levi and Leon Williams and junior forward Bryan Burke earned second team selection. Both Burke and Chinn were named to the 2009 All-WCC Preseason Team as selected by the league's coaches. Sophomore defender Omar Elmasri, collected WCC Honorable Mention selection and all-freshman squad accolades.