DURHAM, N.C. — San Diego Men's Soccer completed an NCAA Tournament Second Round upset on Sunday afternoon, stunning No. 10 Duke with a thrilling 1-0 victory on the road in Koskinen Stadium to advance to it's third ever NCAA Tournament Third Round game in program history. 

A late thriller off a corner from senior defender Jack Sandmeyer was the deciding factor on Sunday afternoon, as he soared over his defender in the box to get his head on a set piece sent in from junior midfielder Josh Martinez to put it away for his team in the 83rd minute, giving USD their signature 1-0 victory on a big stage.  

The Toreros shut out one of the most potent offensive attacks in college soccer, limiting the Blue Devils to seven shots on goal and few major scoring opportunities as sophomore goalkeeper Donovan Parisian finished his afternoon with seven saves, three of which came in the final seven minutes of play after the Toreros had scored the go-ahead goal. 

With the win, San Diego has now advanced to its third ever Third Round appearance, first since 2012 when USD defeated CSUN, UCLA and Tulsa, ultimately being defeated by runner-up Georgetown. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Duke had the first scoring chance in the 18th minute with a low shot towards the center of the goal, but it was no match for Parisian as he scooped it up for the easy save
• Sophomore Forward Jaxson Findlay had the best two looks for the Toreros in the second half, with shots in the 30th and 36th minutes that he could not get on target
• Duke could not get through the USD backline to find another look on goal through the remainder of the first half, keeping the score 0-0 at the break
• The Blue Devils opened up the second period with energy, getting two early chances, but two clutch saves from Parisian put a stop to the attacks
• Findlay made a perfect run into the box with just nine minutes to play and fired off a shot, but it missed just wide.
• Martinez fired a corner kick into the box in the 83rd minute to find Sandmeyer towering over his defender in the box for a header that found the back of the net to give San Diego the late 1-0 lead
• Three clutch saves from Parisian in the final seven minutes of play kept the clean sheet for USD, and allowed it to claim a 1-0 victory over No. 10 Duke

TORERO TIDBITS

• After scoring his first goal as a Torero against Lipscomb earlier this season, Sandmeyer's second goal in a USD uniform came at just the right time for San Diego, as he scored the go-ahead winner in the 83rd minute
• Martinez's corner kick assist was his fourth assist of the season
• After not playing for nearly a month and a half, Findlay was quite possibly the most dangerous player on the field for USD, as he managed to get three great looks on goal up top, but could not convert
• Parisian's seven saves ties his career high
• The Toreros have now earned their third consecutive shutout, tenth of the season

UP NEXT
USD will now face Vermont, who upset No. 7 Hofstra 2-1 Sunday afternoon. The host site for the Sweet 16 matchup is still to be determined as both teams are unseeded.