UCSD loses lead against Cal Poly Pomona on Friday, drops another disappointing game against Cal State San Bernardino on Sunday.
Despite a good start to the new season, the Tritons soccer team came up empty in their first two California Collegiate Athletic Association games. A convincing 2–1 win over then No. 14 Cal State Los Angeles did not help as UCSD suffered back-to-back 3–2 overtime losses to Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino to start their CCAA schedule. The Tritons hold a 4–3 overall record and is 0–2 in CCAA games.
On Friday, UCSD’s women’s soccer team jumped to a 2–0 advantage against Cal Poly Pomona after 60 minutes. Sophomore forward Katie O’Laughlin had her first collegiate double as she scored both goals for the Tritons. Pomona answered 10 minutes later when senior defender Megan Kisslan put one past UCSD senior goalie Kelcie Brodsky. With only 110 seconds left, the Broncos equalized to push the game to overtime, before eventually defeating UCSD with their own goal.
“It was very disappointing,” UCSD Head Coach Brian McManus told the UCSD Athletics Department. “You’re [up two-nothing], and after that the game management is terrible. That was a game that we should have won. The management in the last five or six minutes was terrible. When you score two goals like that there is no way you should be losing.”
On Sunday afternoon, the Tritons fell down 2–0 to Cal State San Bernardino after 58 minutes after senior forward Melanie Aguayo scored her league-leading fifth and sixth goals. At home, UCSD tried to muster a comeback, with redshirt sophomore midfielder Maxia Espino putting the Tritons on the board at the 75th and freshman midfielder Summer Bales equalizing at the 85th. The comeback fell short, however, as Cal State San Bernardino scored at the beginning of overtime and held on to defeat the Tritons.
“We started off terrible,” McManus told the UCSD Athletics Department. “We gave up two very soft goals. I thought we were dominating the second half and then we fall for a sucker punch in overtime, a goal on a counter-attack. There is no excuse, and we were playing soft. The whole season is on the line next weekend.”
UCSD continues its season-high five-match homestand when it hosts CCAA opponents Cal State East Bay on Friday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m., and Stanislaus State on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m.
