Box Score Sept. 4, 2016 Box Score
SAN FRANCISCO -- Visiting UC Davis had a man advantage for the final 10 minutes of regulation, but San Francisco goalkeeper Andre Glasnovic came up with a pair of huge saves down the stretch and the Dons rallied back for a 2-1 victory over the Aggies on Sunday night at Negoesco Stadium.
The loss ended UC Davis' unbeaten start to the season, knotting its record at 1-1-1 overall on the year. San Francisco improved to 2-1 on the year with the win.
In a match that featured 34 combined fouls and 12 total cards, the Aggies were the first on the board with some help from the Dons in the 10th minute, as a USF defender headed the ball into his own goal for the 1-0 advantage.
The two teams traded shots for the next 10 minutes, with each goalkeeper coming up with a save before San Francisco came up with the equalizer. Manny Padilla started the sequence by getting by the defense and driving into the box before being pulled down from behind in the 21st minute, drawing a whistle and putting the Dons at the penalty spot. Davi Ramos would step up and slot it home to the lower left corner to even things up at one apiece. Both teams could manage just one shot the rest of the way as they went into the break tied at one.
San Francisco opened the second half with the first four shots of the period and, eventually, found the go-ahead strike in the 76th minute. A free kick by Leon Schwarzer was perfectly placed to catch the head of Josh Smith, who was making a run into the box, and the Dons' senior struck it home, netting his first goal of the year for a 2-1 advantage.
Twenty seconds later, sophomore Kristian Heptner, who finished with a team-high three shots on the night, had a header snuffed out by Glasnovic right before a run of yellow cards that resulted in San Francisco going a man down with just under 10 minutes to play.
The Aggies, who held a 7-6 advantage in shots in the second half, then tried to take advantage, pushing forward and taking four of the final five attempts on the night. Freshman Nabi Kibunguchy had a header miss just high in the 82nd minute, another header by Heptner and an attempt by junior Greg Salazar were turned away by Glasnovic, and senior Dashiell MacNamara missed high in the final minute as the clocked ticked down.
San Francisco held a slim, 11-9, advantage in shots, but UC Davis put six of its nine on frame compared to just four for the Dons. Glasnovic finished with five saves in the win, while Ramos added four shots to pace the offense.
Continuing a run of five straight on the road, the Aggies take on another pair of West Coast Conference teams next week in Southern California, facing San Diego on Friday (Sept. 9) and Loyola Marymount on Sunday (Sept. 11).
