The UCSD men’s soccer team opened up a six-point advantage over Cal Poly Pomona in the California Collegiate Athletic Association South standings this past weekend, earning road victories against Cal State Stanislaus on Oct. 10 and Cal State Bakersfield on Oct. 12.
Road kill: The UCSD men¹s soccer team beat Cal State Stanislaus and Cal State Bakersfield by the identical scores of 2-1 on Oct. 10 and Oct. 12, respectively.
Cal Poly Pomona, which was tied with the Tritons heading into the weekend, lost both of its games to Chico State and UC Davis. The Broncos will face off against UCSD on Oct. 18 in a crucial division showdown at Triton Soccer Stadium.
In Turlock, Calif., UCSD played its fourth double-overtime game of the season in a 2-1 win over Cal State Stanislaus. The Tritons are now 3-0-1 in games that couldn’t be settled in regulation.
“”We feel very comfortable when we get into overtime now,”” UCSD head coach Derek Armstrong said. “”We like our chances in overtime.””
In the see-saw battle against the Warriors, neither team managed a goal in the first half. Cal State Stanislaus recorded the game’s first score in the 55th minute when the side judge called a penalty on the Triton goalkeeper Jeremy Cookson. The Warriors’ Jonathan Domingos beat Cookson in the resulting penalty kick and gave his team a 1-0 lead.
UCSD came back at the 77:28 mark and tied the game. Senior midfielder Alexis Tello scored his second goal of the season and his collegiate career when he got the ball after a deflection by a Warrior defender.
Neither team could put the game away until the second sudden-death frame. UCSD freshman Brett Maurer recorded the game-winning goal ‹ his fourth of the season ‹ just over three minutes into the second overtime. The score came off of a cross by sophomore Matthew Davey, who earned his team-leading seventh assist.
“”It was a pretty tough game, and we were just glad to get out of there with a win,”” Armstrong said.
Two nights later in Bakersfield, Calif., the Tritons notched another 2-1 victory in a playoff-type atmosphere. The traditionally strong Roadrunners, ranked fourth in the Far West Region, took more shots on goal and earned more scoring chances, but still couldn’t knock off UCSD, which is ranked No. 5 in the region.
Davey put the Tritons on the board first in the 37th minute with his fifth goal of the season. Triton sophomore Robert Stetina sent a corner kick into the box, where it was headed into the crossbar before being deflected down off of several players. Davey eventually found the loose ball and gave the Tritons a 1-0 advantage.
“”He’s really picked up his game recently,”” Armstrong said of Davey’s play. “”He had been playing a mediocre season, and it’s good to see that he’s picked it up recently.””
Cal State Bakersfield got the equalizer at the 54:07 mark. Roadrunner Andrew Kelley began the play down the right side and crossed the ball over to the far post, where freshman Brandon Migdol volleyed it into the upper-right corner of the net.
The game would remain tied for only a couple of seconds, however. UCSD regained the lead just 26 seconds later with a goal by junior forward Tiago Venturi. The team leader for goals scored in 2002 recorded just his second of 2003 when he scored an unassisted goal from the top of the penalty box.
With the two victories, the Tritons improved to 8-3-1 overall and 7-3-1 in CCAA action. Cal Poly Pomona’s record fell to 8-6-1 overall, and 5-5-1 in conference play after its two weekend losses to Chico State and UC Davis. The Broncos are tied for second place in the CCAA South division with Cal State Bakersfield, each with 16 points apiece. First-place UCSD has 22 points.
With a victory over Pomona this weekend, the Tritons would virtually open a three-game lead over the Broncos with just three games remaining in the regular season.
“”If we can get through this one, we’ll be in good shape,”” Armstrong said. “”We need to beat Pomona to almost clinch a spot.””
The Tritons’ Oct. 18 division match against the Broncos will kick off at 2 p.m. at Triton Soccer Stadium as part of the 2003 Homecoming festivities.
