Oct. 30, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

UP NEXT FOR THE DONS: USF prepares for another important West Coast Conference weekend as the Pacific Northwest schools visit Negoesco Stadium, beginning Halloween night against Portland. Gonzaga comes to the Hilltop Sunday, closing USF's three-match homestand in a 2:00 PM contest. The Dons enter the weekend riding a three match unbeaten streak after securing a double overtime tie Friday at ancient Bay Area rival Santa Clara before downing the Broncos 3-1 Sunday night. San Francisco posted back-to-back 1-0 shutout road wins against the Bulldogs and Pilots to open the 2008 WCC schedule.

TRIBUTE FOR USF SOCCER GREATS SET FOR SUNDAY: Before San Francisco takes on Gonzaga in the 2008 West Coast Conference home finale at Negoesco Stadium Sunday, November 2, the Dons will pay tribute to two who passed away in 2007. Head Coach Erik Visser and the Dons will celebrate the legacy of USF standout player Victor Arbelaez and longtime supporter Rouben Chakalian during a pre-match ceremony. Following the match, a special reception to honor both men will be held in the Russell Room at War Memorial Gym.

QUOTING VISSER ON PORTLAND/GONZAGA: "This is another important week for us and we expect two tough matches against quality opponents this weekend as we close out our WCC home schedule. We must continue to stay focused and compete in order to be successful."

DONS DEFENSE STINGY: San Francisco continued to establish itself as a tough defensive unit with its league-leading fifth shutout of the season coming in a 0-0 deadlock at Santa Clara (10/26). Through 14 matches, the Dons have given up a league-low 13 scoring strikes. San Francisco's senior goalkeeping tandem of Eric Conner and Jeremy Coupe lead the West Coast Conference in GAA at 0.89. Coupe, who owns five shutouts on the year, leads the conference in GAA (0.78). USF keepers have recorded a league-low 39 saves.

CHINN DOES IT AGAIN: Junior forward Conor Chinn scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season in USF's 3-1 victory against Santa Clara (10/26) and has now scored in seven of his last 10 matches. Chinn, who has scored seven of San Francisco's 11 goals this season, registered his third game-winner of the year in the 70th minute at Portland (10/5) and also tallied the decisive blow in USF's 1-0 shutout at Gonzaga (10/3). Chinn leads the West Coast Conference with three game-winners this season. Chinn enters Friday's WCC showdown Portland with 17 career goals, six of them decisive.

Leon Williams - WCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Junior midfielder Leon Williams Manchester, Jamaica) helped power San Francisco to a 3-1 victory and a scoreless tie against ancient Bay Area rival Santa Clara and collected West Coast Conference Player of the Week honors. A 2007 Junior College All-American, Williams was instrumental in securing USF's scoreless draw Friday night at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Manchester, Jamaica native created scoring chances, but more importantly blocked four Santa Clara shot attempts, three of them at point blank range at the mouth of the goal. Williams was not done as the ancient rivalry shifted to the Hilltop on a foggy Sunday night at Negoesco Stadium. Williams scored the game-winner in the Dons' 3-1 come-from-behind victory against the defending WCC champions.

ROAD WARRIORS: San Francisco has proven tough on the road and since the start of the 2005 season owns a 20-17-2 record in true away matches, while posting a 14-11-2 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 VS. PORTLAND/GONZAGA LIVE ON THE INTERNET: USF's West Coast Conference matches against Portland and Gonzaga will feature plenty of cyberspace coverage. Streaming audio and video will be available courtesy of Yahoo Broadcast, while CSTV's GameTracker live scoring feature will also be available for both matches.

SCOUTING PORTLAND: The Pilots enter the fifth weekend of league play with a 6-7-2 overall record and a 3-4-0 mark in West Coast Conference action. Portland has won back-to-back matches after dropping four straight conference contests the Pilots seized a 2-1 victory last Friday at Gonzaga, salvaging a series split with the Bulldogs. Sophomore midfielder Frankie Lopez leads Portland with a conference-leading nine goals and 20 total points, averaging 0.6 goals and 1.33 points per game. Earlier this season, Lopez was named the WCC Player of the Week and earned multiple national accolades after posting four goals and an assist at the 2008 Nike Invitational. Bill Irwin is in his sixth year at the helm of the Pilots. Last season, Irwin led Portland to its first NCAA appearance since 2004 and its 13th appearance in program history.

A LOOK AT GONZAGA: The Bulldogs enter their fifth week of West Coast Conference play with a 5-7-2 overall record and a 2-4-1 mark in league play. The Bulldogs are winless in their last four contests since taking a 2-1 overtime victory against Santa Clara (10/5). Gonzaga suffered a 2-1 loss to visiting Portland last Friday. Junior forward Tye Perdido, a two-time All-WCC honoree, leads the Zags' attack with a team-high six goals for 13 total points, while juniors Bryan Mullaney and Ben Funkhouser pace the squad with four assists apiece. Einar Thorinasson is in his 14th year as head coach of Gonzaga and has registered a 115-109-22 overall record and two NCAA tournament appearances, including a 2007 first round loss to SMU.

USF HEAD COACH Erik Visser: USF head coach Erik Visser enters his eighth year as the top Don and his 31st associated with the San Francisco soccer program as a player, assistant and now head coach. Although USF's string of three straight NCAA Tournament appearances was snapped last season, with another outstanding crop of newcomers and an experienced blend of returning players, Visser looks to guide the Dons back to the top of the standings in an increasingly competitive West Coast Conference. 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 two-time WCC Coach of the Year (2004-05), 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 75-62-11. Former Dons standout Josh McKay is in his sixth season as top assistant coach and third as an associate head coach, while Tyler Gottschalk is in his fifth campaign as an assistant. Chris Carniato enters his first season as an assistant/goalkeeper coach.

PLENTY OF BONUS SOCCER: Sometimes 90 minutes is not enough action for USF soccer. So far in 2008 San Francisco is 0-1-2 in extra time after posting deadlocks at Santa Clara (10/24) and against UNLV (9/19). USF's only extra period loss came in a 1-0 double overtime loss at San Jose State (9/10). Last season the Dons played three "bonus" soccer 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), continuing a trend of extra session success. 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 the 2004 season, USF owns a 7-5-9 slate during "bonus soccer" matches.

WINNING THE CLOSE ONES: San Francisco has been tough in matches decided by one goal the last four seasons and 2008 looks like it will prove to be no exception. USF has already played eight decided by a one goal margin this season and own a 3-5 slate, but have won three of its last four. The Dons posted a 6-8-0 record in tight matches last year. 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 34-28 ledger in one goal matches, including a 5-4-0 mark during the 2005 campaign.

CHINN AMONG WCC SCORING LEADERS: Junior forward Conor Chinn led USF in goals (6) and points (17) and ranked second in assists (5) during a solid sophomore campaign. Chinn ranked fourth among West Coast Conference leaders in goals, sixth in points and rated third in shots (44). Chinn scored four goals against nationally elite teams last season, scoring two goals to lead the Dons to a 2-1 victory against No. 11 Cal (9/14) and struck for a goal at No. 4 Santa Clara (10/12/07) and added another against the No. 3 Broncos (11/9/07) at home. So far in 2008, Chinn leads the team and ranks among WCC leaders in goals (2nd/7), points (2nd/15), shots (2nd/44) and leads the league in game-winners (3).

SENIORS SHINE IN GOAL FOR THE DONS: Senior goalkeepers Eric Conner and Jeremy Coupe have done a solid job for USF this season. The tandem has combined to lead the West Coast Conference in GAA (0.89) and have allowed a league-low 13 goals so far in 2008. Conner collected his first career shutout in the Green and Gold in a scoreless double overtime deadlock at San Diego (10/21/07). Coupe, who secured USF's 2-1 victory against No. 11 Cal last season and the Dons inaugural win with his first career shutout against Penn State (9/21), currently leads the WCC in shutouts (5), and GAA (0.78) and rates seventh in saves (30).

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 2008 squad is no exception. This year's features players from no fewer than six countries and three continents. The country roll call features 30 players from the United States, two Dons from Sweden, and one each from Canada, Jamaica, Japan and Spain.

LMU GAME TIME CHANGE: USF's 2008 regular season finale at Loyola Marymount (11/16) (originally 2:00) has shifted to a 1:00 PM start.