PRIYA COOPER / SPORTS EDITOR

On Saturday night, Oct. 26, USD  men’s  soccer  defeated  the Oregon State Beavers at home  in  San  Diego. The Toreros are  currently  ranked  No. 4  in  the  country   and  are  on the rise after their 2-0 victory over Oregon. USD  stands at 10-1-2 (4-0-0 in West  Coast Conference  [WCC]  play), aiming  for  a  third  consecutive  WCC title. Their national ranking,  as of Oct. 29, indicates that they are strong prospects for NCAA Tournament qualification.

USD and Oregon State have not played each other since 2003, making the game a notable match. The Toreros are scheduled to face  Pacific, Portland    and  LMU  in November.  USD  junior  Natalie  Green,  an    attendee  at Saturday’s   game,   discussed  how the Torero Stadium came to life. 

“It’s   fun   to   see   a  lot  of   people coming out and supporting the Toreros during these   intense  games,” Green said. 

With two goals by USD junior and forward Samy Kanaan, USD men’s soccer secured a decisive 2-0 win over conference leaders Oregon State (8-3-2, 4-1-0 WCC). 

Kanaan scored early, connecting with Ethan Warne for a give and go that set up a remarkable finish inside the box in the 17th minute. The play marked Warne’s second assist for the season. Only two minutes later, Kanaan converted a penalty kick, giving USD a lead that they held firmly for the remaining 70 minutes of the match. 

The Torero defensive line, alongside sophomore goalkeeper Donovan Parisian, successfully shut out  Oregon State, who previously led the conference  in  total  goals scored. Kanaan praised his team for their efforts  in a post-game interview with USD Men’s soccer media. 

“Our back line was as solid as I could have wanted it,” Kanaan said. “No one could have wanted more — or a better — defensive effort. We limited them to only two shots on goal, and we were just unbelievably solid defensively.” 

Kanaan and Parisian were both named the Credit Union 1 West Coast Conference Offensive   and  Defensive Players of the Week  after the game this past Saturday. Kanaan  is  now  tied  for  the  WCC  lead in  goals  scored  this  season. It  is  also  the  third  time  this season that Kanaan has been named the WCC’s Offensive Player of the Week.  Additionally, this is the second time this season that Parisian has earned the Defensive Player of the Week.

USD men’s soccer players after the game, celebrating their success with their loved ones. Photo courtesy of @usdmsoccer/Instagram

The game had a turnout of approximately  2,107  fans  in attendance. While the attendance record was not broken, the atmosphere was just what the team needed, pushing through a pivotal  game. People were  making plenty of noise and cheering on the Toreros with the help of hundreds of vuvuzelas that were  provided to  attendees  by  USD  Athletics.   After  observing  the  crowd, USD senior Mary Kate Cambria, who was helping  work the game, couldn’t help but share her excitement. 

“Honestly, it’s really good to see such a good show out for San Diego tonight,” Cambria said. “I feel like the energy is really great, and it’s nice to see people coming together to support men’s soccer when they are doing well.”

As fans celebrated the team’s latest win, USD junior Gabriella Pardo,   another fan in attendance at Torero Stadium, reflected on the energy of the game. 

“I’m  excited  for  our  school as   soccer   has   been   doing  so well   this  season,” Pardo said.  “I   hope  people  continue  to show   their   support  for  the  team as they  progress. I   do  think  we can  get  more  people to  come out and  watch  though,  the  team’s ranking is really impressive.” 

San Diego’s  2-0 victory over Oregon State  not only solidified their position atop the West Coast Conference, but also showcased the team’s defensive and offensive strengths. The Toreros continued their campaign   for  a third consecutive  WCC   championship title on Oct. 30, competing against San Francisco in Northern California. Following San Francisco,  the Toreros  will play Pacific on Saturday, Nov. 2 in Stockton, CA. The San Diego men’s   soccer final regular season home match will be against Portland on Saturday, Nov. 9.

The next USD men’s soccer game will take place on Nov. 2 at Pacific at 7 p.m. Photo courtesy of @usdmsoccer/Instagram