The UCSD women’s soccer team may not have reached the championship form that it had in the three previous years by the end of the 2002 regular season, but the Tritons still managed to finish in first place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association South Division.
After closing the season 6-0-1 in its last seven games, UCSD has some momentum on its side when the CCAA Championships begin Nov. 7 at Sonoma State’s Seawolf Field. The Tritons will open against Cal State Dominguez Hills in a game that UCSD head coach Brian McManus hopes to see end in a fashion similar to what he has been witnessing in recent weeks.
“”We’re not playing particularly well,”” McManus said. “”But we have been battling and getting results.””
CSUDH, which finished the regular season 11-6-3, is 4-1 in its last five games, and the Toros are riding a three-game winning streak heading into the postseason. They should prove to be a respectable opponent for UCSD in the teams’ semifinal game.
The Tritons and CSUDH match up evenly against each other, as evidenced by the Sept. 29 game in Carson, Calif. In the match, UCSD fell behind in the first half, but tied the game on a goal by junior midfielder Kristin Conahan in the middle of the second half. The Tritons finally put the game away and took the victory in overtime when junior forward Kristin Jones lobbed the ball over the head of Toro goalkeeper Alba Garcia.
McManus and his players will take the experience that they gained in the game earlier this season to help them in the CCAA Championship’s first-round contest, which the Tritons anticipate to be tough and physical.
“”They’re a strong team,”” McManus said. “”They are one of the most physical teams in the conference.””
The other teams playing the conference championships this weekend are UC Davis and Cal Poly Pomona, who will face off after UCSD’s Nov. 7 game at Seawolf Field.
If the Tritons beat the Toros, they will advance to the championship game on Nov. 9 against the winner of UC Davis and Cal Poly Pomona. No matter the outcome of the weekend’s tournament, UCSD expects to be selected to National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II regionals that are scheduled to start on Nov. 13.
