“Hey Chico … I have a white flag ready for you when you want it!” These were the words shouted by one of the many rowdy Triton fans who cheered on their home team in RIMAC Soccer Stadium on Oct. 29 as it crushed Chico State 4-0 for the 2006 California Collegiate Athletic Association championship title for the sixth time in seven years.
Junior midfielder Lauren Segars and senior midfielders Kelly Cochran (top) and Megan Dickey (right) celebrate the Tritons’ dominant victory over Chico State in the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship on Oct. 29.
While dreams of a national championship entry propelled the No. 3 UCSD squad, sweet revenge couldn’t help but take its toll on the hearts of the Tritons, whose only loss of the season was to Chico State on Sept. 17 with a score of 0-1.
“This meant a lot to us as far as pride goes and we wanted to prove that the last game was a fluke,” sophomore goalie Jessica McGovern said. “It’s nice to be able to say now that we beat every team in our league.”
The Wildcats seemed to take a submissive stance from the beginning, allowing the Tritons the first touch on the ball for the majority of the game.
The first half looked much like a game of cat and mouse as the Tritons maintained ball possession, forcing the Wildcats to scurry into defensive mode.
However, the Chico State passes were not enough to overcome the Triton pressure, and a shot by senior midfielder Megan Dickey finally raided the Wildcat net with 30 seconds left in the first half.
Sophomore midfielder Kelly Mayo assisted the shot, slinking a pass from 15 yards out to Dickey, who pounded the ball through the crowded defense and past the Wildcat keeper to sink the ball straight in the center of the goal.
The goal sent the crowd into a frenzy, setting a tone for the second half that would not be disrupted as the Tritons earned three more goals for the largest scoring margin in a CCAA championship tournament final match since 2003 when UCSD defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills 5-1.
Senior midfielder Kelly Cochran extended the lead to 2-0 in the 52nd minute with her 10th goal on the season, assisted by junior midfielder Lauren Segars.
The ball was crossed from the left side into a cluster of Tritons in the goal box, eventually getting forced in by Cochran.
The third goal came in with 17 minutes left by junior forward Kathy Sepulveda, who had been sweeping up the sidelines from the beginning.
Sepulveda charged any ball or person in sight along the right and left sides of the field and it finally paid off.
Sepulveda first stole the ball from her Chico State opponent and dribbled upfield on the outer right edge of the field to put a bold shot through from 12 yards out, which came to rest in the far left corner of the net.
While the Tritons attacked the Wildcats with a force that never dwindled — outshooting their opponents 20-2 — McGovern was left trekking the goal box with a seemingly bored but proud composure.
“I can never complain about being bored because that just means that the defense was doing an excellent job,” McGovern said about the shutout.
The final blow came in the 87th minute as sophomore forward Natasha Belak-Berger, who substituted numerous times for Sepulveda, hit a right-side ball which streamed almost too easily into the left corner of the goal for a 4-0 finish.
The Wildcats, who did a lot more watching than playing throughout the match, ended with their heads down as junior midfielder Ali Lai deflected a Chico State penalty kick with her head in the last seconds of the game.
The angry Wildcat goalkeeper kicked the ball over the Triton net while the UCSD players ran through the human tunnel formed by the arms of proud family and fans before gathering centerfield to take their CCAA championship photo and receive their trophy.
“We are so thrilled about the win,” Lai said. “All the support from the crowd made it even more personal for us.”
The Tritons were met with an even larger home crowd in their previous match against Humbolt State on Oct. 27 when Dickey scored the only goal on a header 17 minutes into the first half, thanks to a solid corner kick by junior midfielder Caitlyn Ryan for the 1-0 game win, which led to the Chico State slaughter two days later.
The league champions now wait in anticipation to see if they will secure the privilege of hosting next week’s NCAA Far West regional tournament, which will feature the top four teams in the region. The announcement will be made by 2 p.m. on Oct. 30.
