Steffen Deetjen
Staff Writer

This past Sunday the Dons (0-2) took on West Virginia (1-1) and Penn State (3-0-1) on Saturday. The Dons were dominated 6-0 against West Virginia and only managed three shots, none on target. Meanwhile the Mountaineers fired 19 shots, eight of which were on frame. The Mountaineers started the game off strong with three first half goals. By the fifth minute the Mountaineers had scored their first goal from eight yards out by Jamie Merriam. Merriam scored his second goal of the season in the seventh minute by way of a header during a corner kick by Joey Piatczyc. First half scoring was rounded out by Mike Desiderio. Desiderio scored from a free kick at the top of the penalty arc.The Mountaineers 3-0 lead at half wasn’t the end of their barrage.

Once again, the Mountaineers wasted no time in starting the half strong. In the 48th minute, Ryan Cain knocked in a header off of a corner kick delivery from Desiderio. Despite the Dons’ efforts to break through the Mountaineer’s back four, West Virginia’s defense was unflappable. To add to the Dons’ misfortunes, junior midfielder Davi Ramos was issued a red card in the 48th minute leaving San Francisco with 10 men with almost the entire half to go. West Virginia took advantage of the already shaken Dons and notched two more goals for a final scoreline of 6-0.

The Dons started off their season with a game against Penn State on Saturday. Unfortunately the Dons had to swallow a tough 1-0 loss to start the season. Although San Francisco lost their first game they still put up an admirable fight against Penn with five shots and three on goal to show for it. The deciding goal came in the 72nd minute. The Lion’s Austin Maloney served a cross in from the right wing, Mac Curran found enough space for a bottom left tap in.

The Dons’ defense held strong against an aggressive Penn State offense, especially the Dons’ junior goalkeeper Ryan Buckingham. Buckingham was able to save one attempt on goal. As for the USF’s offense, they played an aggressive game that kept Penn State’s defense on their toes. Despite San Francisco’s forward pressure, they weren’t able to convert on any of their chances. Freshmen midfielder Sean Bowman came closest to scoring with a pair of shots, one on frame, that couldn’t find the back of the net. Along with Bowman, senior Joshua Smith and sophomore Aaron Lombardi each had an attempt on goal.

The Dons will return to the pitch at Negoesco Field on September 4th against Canisius College.