SPOKANE, Wash. – The Gonzaga men's soccer team exploded on offense against Sacramento State and won 5-1 in the home season opener. This marks the second-straight win for the Zags, which is the best start to a season since 2017.

The Zags (2-0-0) got on the board first in the 10th minute with an unassisted goal from Ben Augee. The score was Augee's first score as a Zag. Drew Pedersen added to Gonzaga's scoring effort in the 35th minute with assists from Augee and Victor Gadea, to make it 2-0 early on. 

Sacramento State (0-2-0) responded in the 38th minute by a goal from Simon Vaca-Lorenzi, with the assist from Christo Cervante, to make it 2-1 going into halftime.

Chris Swider quickly opened up scoring in the second half with a goal 37 seconds into the half. Stefano Campisi assisted the goal as Swider now has scored in back-to-back games for the Zags. In the 50th minute, the Bulldogs were awarded a penalty kick with Campisi scoring on the opportunity, to give GU the 4-1 lead. The score marked the second-straight game with a goal for Campisi as well.

Gonzaga added on to its lead in the 61st minute as Devin Slingsby found the back of the net after dribbling the ball himself into the box to make it 5-1.

The Zags dominated across the board as they outshot the Hornets, 18-13, with nine of those being on target. Both goalkeepers for Gonzaga, Stuart Heringer and Brett Lopes, made a save on the day for GU. Heringer was credited with the win as he was in net for 78 minutes.

Goals on Goals: The five goals marked the first time a team has scored five since Sept. 1, 2009, against Trinity Western.

Up Next: Gonzaga hits the road to play UC San Diego on Thursday, Aug. 31, at 7 p.m. The team then goes on to play UC Irvine on Sunday, Sept. 3, at 6 p.m. Live stats and streaming information can be found at GoZags.com.