SAN DIEGO — A thrilling long shot goal from
Cesar Bahena combined with yet another strong clean sheet from the San Diego back line led USD men's soccer (14-2-2, 7-1 WCC) to an NCAA First Round victory over UC Davis (10-6-6, 4-3-2 Big West) to extend the Toreros' season to the next round, beating the Aggies by a 1-0 margin in front of a lively crowd of 1,679 at Torero Stadium on Thursday night.
Bahena scored his eighth goal of the season in the 35th minute by capitalizing on a mistake from a UC Davis defender and launching a perfect shot from distance that snuck over the Aggie goalkeeper's head to give his team the lone goal of the night.
The Torero back line combined with goalkeeper Donovan Parisian stepped up big on Thursday night by forcing another shutout, limiting the Aggies to just three shots on goal as they claimed their second consecutive clean sheet and ninth total of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UC Davis started off Thursday night's contest with a pair of chances, but the USD defense stood strong and recovered to gain some momentum for themselves.
- After a slip up from an Aggie defender around midfield, Bahena scooped up the ball on the run before launching a long ball over the Aggie goalkeeper's head and into the back of the net to give his team a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute.
- A scrappy end to the first half saw the Toreros still ahead 1-0 at the break.
- Vicente Ayala fired a shot to the bottom left corner in the 53rd minute, but a save from UC Davis kept San Diego from extending its lead.
- Clutch second half saves in the 63rd and 78th minutes from Parisian maintained the clean sheet for USD.
- Strong defense from the Torero backline throughout the final 15 minutes stopped a final attack from the Aggies to earn the 1-0 playoff victory for San Diego.
TORERO TIDBITS
- Bahena's 36th minute goal was his eighth of the season, and second chip shot finish as he scored an eerily similar goal against San Diego State earlier this season on August 26th.
- Parisian earned three saves in the victory.
- The Toreros have not lost a game outside of San Diego this season.
- San Diego's first round win over UC Davis is the first NCAA tournament win for the Toreros since 2014 when it defeated Cal State Fullerton 2-1 in an overtime thriller.
- USD will play in the second round of the NCAA tournament for the eighth time in program history, and a win would mark just the second time in program history that a team has reached the third round of the tournament.
CATCHING UP WITH THE TOREROS
UP NEXT
San Diego will travel to Durham, North Carolina, to take on the number 10 Duke Blue Devils in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Kick-off at Koskinen Stadium is set for 10 a.m. PST.
