Although the UCSD men’s soccer team has only been in the California Collegiate Athletic Association since 2000, it has made its presence known. After a spectacular finish this season, the Tritons (11-5) earned their second berth ever in the playoffs.
The Tritons will travel north to Rohnert Park, Calif., where North Division champion Sonoma State University will play host to this year’s CCAA playoffs, to face Cal State Dominguez Hills on Nov. 8.
UCSD will play the first semifinal match of the playoffs against the Toros, who are ranked sixth in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II polls and are the Central Division winners with a 16-3-1 record. The Toros secured the top seed in the playoffs after beating Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State Los Angeles in their final games of the season, while the Tritons took the third seed by winning their final three games and taking first place in the South Division.
The winner of the Nov. 8 match will face the winner of the 18th-ranked Sonoma State University (16-3) and 10th-ranked Cal State Bakersfield (17-3) semifinal in the CCAA Championship game on Nov. 10.
UCSD will have its hands full against CSUDH. The Toros are the 2000 NCAA Division II champions, 2001 NCAA II runners-up and three-time CCAA champions. They are currently on a three-game winning streak and have won six of their last seven games, outscoring their opponents 22-6 in those contests. The Tritons lost 4-0 to the Toros in late September in their only match of the season, and UCSD has been shut out in all three matches that the two teams have played since the 2002 South Division champions entered the CCAA.
The Tritons have been preparing for this meeting.
“”We’ve been having practice [as usual], but we’ve stepped it up a bit,”” said UCSD head coach Derek Armstrong. “”We’ve been doing some more running, and we played a scrimmage game. [Nov. 8’s game] is going to be a tough job.””
Just like the Toros, the Tritons also finished their season strong, winning five of the last six games, and gaining a spot in the playoffs by winning their last three do-or-die games.
Forward Tiago Venturi, who earned CCAA Player of the Week honors, leads the team in scoring with eight goals and three assists entering the tournament, followed by midfielder Matthew Davey with six goals and three assists, and forward Bobby Sadaati with five goals and three assists. Goalie Jeremy Cookson enters with a 1.41 goals allowed average and a .718 save percentage in 16 games.
Although CSUDH is the top seed and holds the No. 6 ranking in NCAA Division II, the Tritons welcome being the underdog.
“”I don’t feel like there’s too much pressure on us,”” said Triton co-captain Kris Chiles. “”We are in a good position because we are the underdog. We have nothing to lose, and no one is expecting us to do anything.””
The team left for Sonoma State on Nov. 6 and will begin play on Nov. 8 at 11 a.m. If the Tritons advance past the Toros, they will play the championship game on Nov. 10.