University of San Diego Magazine 75th Anniversary 2024

TORERO ATHLETICS

TWICE AS NICE

USD Men’s Soccer Earns Back-to-Back Conference Titles

Cal Poly promptly quelled those concerns, and propelled the Toreros to a 7-1-1 record over the remainder of the 2022 season, as well as their first WCC title under Quinn’s leadership. “I give tons of credit to those guys who stayed around and are enjoying that success,” Quinn said, fresh off the team’s 2022 title run. “Kudos to those guys for ramping it up. The whole thing with college athletics is that chemistry and camaraderie go a long way, and these kids put a lot of effort into that.” Fast forward to the summer of 2023. Quinn and the Toreros made a 6,000-mile, cross-continental journey to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where they spent more than a week in the South American capital city. While there, they played several friendly matches and solidified the connection that would ultimately lead them to another WCC title in 2023. “I’m really proud of the team,” Quinn said, after the squad secured their second consecutive WCC title in a thrilling 1-0 win over Gonzaga last November. “It was a goal at the beginning of the year. The Argentina trip in the summer built a lot of chemistry within the group

PHOTOS: TOM CHRISTENSEN

By Mike Sauer I n September 2022, USD Men’s Soccer Head Coach Brian Quinn found himself at a crossroads. Nine games into their season, the Toreros were struggling to find consistent form, and some were beginning to wonder if the major roster reconstruction Quinn had initiated following their disappointing 2-15 2021 campaign would lead the program back to the top of the West Coast Conference (WCC) standings. A three-goal performance from stalwart midfielder Mason Tunbridge in a season-turning 4-0 win against

”I’m really proud

with the new players coming in.” During the past two years, the Toreros are 12-1-2 in the WCC after going 1-6 in 2021. “The success comes from their

of the team.

This conference as a

whole was the

commitment to our plan and to each other,” Quinn said. “We had a group that believed we could win our conference and get back to the NCAA tournament, even though we knew what a challenge that would be.”

strongest it’s been

since I’ve been here

at USD.”

— Head Coach Brian Quinn

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