Toreros upset by Bulldogs

Men’s soccer loses to Gonzaga University 2-1 moving the Toreros down in the WCC

Maria Watters / Assistant Sports Editor / The USD Vista

The University of San Diego men’s soccer team dropped to fifth place in the West Coast Conference (WCC) after a shocking loss to the Gonzaga Bulldogs (3-8-1, 2-1 WCC) Saturday night at Torero Stadium.

After a tough 0-3 loss against ninth-ranked Saint Mary’s College the previous week, the Toreros were eager to bounce back with a victory against Gonzaga. Having scored nearly three times as many goals as the Bulldogs, the Toreros entered into Saturday’s contest as the clear favorite. 

Despite their impressive record, the Toreros came into the game ready to fight hard. 

 “You can’t go into any game thinking you’ve already won,” senior forward Miguel Berry said. “As much as we’ve won this season, we are a hard working team and that’s how we win games. We are not just going to show up and play and win.”

 The Bulldogs kicked off to start the first half in front of an energetic crowd of nearly 400 fans. The game started off slowly, with neither team able to take control. Both teams traded attacks with the first shot of the game coming from Gonzaga’s junior midfielder Joe Corner missing wide of the goal in the fourth minute. The Toreros responded with a shot of their own by junior defender Aidan Marmion in the ninth minute. 

Possession continued to shift back and forth as the shot by Marmion was followed by a foul on USD and two on Gonzaga, leading to a shot by senior forward Miguel Berry that missed just wide in the 13th minute. The Bulldogs countered with a strong offensive effort with Corner taking his second shot of night, sailing just past the reach of USD’s redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Matt Wiher, and hitting the post. Collective sighs of relief came from the Torero fans, as the near goal for the Bulldogs shocked the crowd. 

The Toreros, however, seemed less fazed than their fans as they quickly regained possession and went on the attack. Sophomore midfielder Paul Ramlow looked to take a shot inside the Gonzaga box late in the 18th minute, but was swarmed by the Bulldog defense. The ball was cleared by the defense, but Ramlow remained on the ground, stopping play while the USD trainers helped him off the field and did not return.

Despite losing a key member of their offense, the Toreros continued to relentlessly attack the Gonzaga defense for the rest of the half. USD took seven more shots by five different players. The first came from redshirt junior defender Chase Van Wey that missed wide in the 24th minute, followed by the shot by junior midfielder Amit Hefer that was saved by Gonzaga redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Johan Garibay in the 28th minute. Seconds later, it seemed like the Toreros would be the first on the board as Berry lined up inside the box at center field with only one defender to get past. Though Berry’s shot hit the post, he would get another chance in the 31st minute as he made a run down the left side of the field. But with a difficult angle and the Gonzaga defense barreling down on him, Berry missed wide once again. 

More scoring chances for the Toreros came from redshirt junior midfielder George West in the 32nd minute, Miguel Berry with his fourth of the game in the 33rd, and junior midfielder Ross Meldrum in the 45th. Though the Toreros outshot the Bulldogs 9-2, the first half ended with the score tied at 0-0. 

Though he didn’t see much action in the first half, Wiher knew he had to stay focused going into the second half.

“I could feel that they were dangerous in the first half,” Wiher said. “Even if they might have had more shots than they did, I could definitely feel that the opportunity would be coming.”

USD fans were perhaps nervous and surprised by the score after the first 45 minutes of play. They were not expecting the high-scoring Torero offense that averages more than two goals a game to be shut out by the Gonzaga defense. But with another half left to play, Torero fans remained hopeful, and the players were determined to get the win. 

The Toreros took the field first after the break and kicked off to start the second half. Unlike the first, the Toreros quickly took possession and earned a corner kick in the first 30 seconds of the half. But while USD held the ball, the Bulldogs came out of the break even more aggressive than before, giving the Toreros a free kick 30 yards from the goal in the 52nd minute. The ball found the head of Berry, but missed wide.

Gonzaga quickly played the ball to freshman defender Cole Rovegno, who sent a long pass down the field to junior midfielder Theo O’Malley. O’Malley beat the Torero defense and launched a bullet into the right side of the goal past Wiher in the 53rd minute. 

The Gonzaga bench jumped to their feet in celebration while the Torero fans went silent. The Bulldogs were winning 1-0. This game was not going to be the decisive victory Torero fans had anticipated. The Bulldogs were putting up a fight, and the pressure was on USD to score.

A close chance for the Toreros came in the 55th minute when Van Wey fired a shot past the Bulldogs’ goalkeeper, only to be deflected away at the last minute by a Gonzaga defender. 

As the first 15 minutes of the half ticked away, the Toreros were desperate for a goal as the Gonzaga bench furiously cheered on their teammates on the field. Several substitutions for the Toreros and a save by Wiher in the 62nd minute set up a free kick for Miguel Berry in the 65th. Though the Bulldog defense cleared the ball, senior defender Henry Lander was able to recover and hit Van Wey on the left side. With an open lane, Van Wey struck, sending a perfect shot past Johan into the top right corner. 

The stands erupted as Torero fans leapt to their feet. The score was tied 1-1. The Toreros were back in the game. 

The celebration was short-lived, however, as the Bulldogs won possession after the kickoff. A long pass to Gonzaga sophomore forward Demitrius Kigeya set up a one-on-one opportunity against Torero junior defender Aaron Frey. With incredible speed and quick footwork, Kigeya beat Frey and then Wiher, leaving an open goal, and he easily passed the ball into the net, giving the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead over the Toreros in the 66th minute. 

With 25 minutes left, the Toreros had time to tie up the game, but the Bulldogs weren’t going to give up the lead without a fight. Taking advantage of poor passing by USD, Gonzaga was able to continue to pressure the Torero defense and shut down the offense. 

As time continued to slip away, the game grew more and more aggressive both on the field and in the stands. An aggressive tackle by the Toreros in their box sent Gonzaga fans and bench into an uproar as the referee awarded a corner kick instead of a penalty kick in the 81st minute. 

Huge saves by Wiher in the 82nd and 84th minutes kept the Toreros in the game, but they still needed another goal to tie the score. In the final minutes, USD fans desperately tried to rally their team by chanting and heckling the Gonzaga players.

 Both teams battled until the very end. In the last minute of play, a Gonzaga forward tackled Wiher, giving the Toreros one last chance to score. But as the countdown reached the final seconds, the Toreros were forced to accept the defeat.  

Despite the tough loss, USD soccer head coach Brian Quinn was happy with how his players performed.

“I was really disappointed in the result but not the team,” Quinn said. “I’ve trusted them when the game has been on the line and they’ve won a lot of close games, and then tonight the ball didn’t fall for us.”

After the loss, USD dropped to a 10-3-1, 1-2 WCC record, but with four conference games left in the regular season, the Toreros know there is still a lot of work left to be done. The Toreros look to their next opponent Loyola Marymount University (8-4-3) (3-0 WCC). The game is at Torero Stadium on Wednesday at 7 p.m.