The last time the UCSD women’s soccer team met the Grand Canyon squad, the Tritons squeaked by with a 1-0 victory in Phoenix. Their second match on Nov. 1 was a completely different story. UCSD dropped nine first-half goals on their way to a 14-0 trouncing of the Antelopes. Before the match, Triton seniors were honored in front of the 305 fans in attendance at the final regular season home game of 2003.
Fantastic finish: Grand Canyon was simply no match for the UCSD women’s soccer team who put on a full offensive assault in its 14-0 win on Nov. 1.
UCSD hit the back of the net early and often on their way to a football-like final score. Fittingly enough, four of the nine seniors scored, including a hat trick by Kristin Jones. Senior Kristen Conahan opened things up early, scoring her sixth goal of the year in the fourth minute. This was followed by two goals in a row from Jones, including a magnificent effort where Jones collected the ball at midfield, beat two Grand Canyon defenders and took it all the way in herself. The Tritons found themselves up 3-0 with less than 10 minutes of soccer played. Fellow senior Megan Mendoza added a tally, as well as freshman Kelly Cochran ‹ scoring her team-leading seventh ‹ sophomore Lindsey Treankler, junior Jackie Shaffer and freshman Alise Malley. Those goals merely rounded out the first half.
The Tritons backed off a little bit opening the second half, waiting 10 minutes to get back on the scoring track.
“”I told them [at halftime] not to go out looking to score, but just to play,”” head coach Brian McManus said. Evidently, “”just playing”” to the Tritons meant putting five more goals past the Grand Canyon goalie. Freshman Megan Dickey got on the board, Treankler added her second of the game and sophomore Kristina De La Rosa collected her second of the season. With a more-than-comfortable lead, McManus could afford a few luxuries, like putting junior goalie Jamie Lautenschleger in to play the field.
“”She asked me if I needed her to play on the field in the second half,”” McManus said. “”She plays on the field in practice, so I put her in.”” Lautenschleger didn’t disappoint, as she headed home a goal in the 76th minute.
Senior defender Christine Wensel, known better as an offensive contributor that plays balls into the middle of the box for teammates, found herself on the left side of the score sheet for the first time this season. She let lose a rocket from distance that got over the keeper and grazed under the crossbar. In her last game at home, she waited until the last minute to finish the UCSD scoring.
Also scoring were seniors Conahan, Jones, Mendoza and Wensel. Molly Carlson, Sarah Schopbach and Amy Goker stepped up the defense to ensure the shutout. Keeper Kami Poma, playing in her first game back from injury, ended the game in net. Shannon Harrelson was the only senior that wasn’t on the field as the clock ticked down to zero. She came down with an illness and was forced to miss the game.
Despite the lopsided score, McManus was a little unsure of the fitness level of his squad after a 20-day layoff.
“”We were a little slow out there,”” he said. “”We need another game to get ready for the playoffs.””
The Tritons hadn’t played since an Oct. 12 win at Cal State Bakersfield. They had a 13-day break on the schedule, but the fires in Southern California postponed two more games, lengthening their time without a match to 20 days. McManus preferred to have played a more competitive team to get his team ready for the postseason after a long break from play.
UCSD will make up its Oct. 25 match against Cal State San Bernardino on Nov. 3. The Coyotes must win to clinch a wild card berth. If UCSD wins or ties, the Tritons will have to play Cal Poly Pomona on Nov. 5 at Triton Soccer Stadium. UCSD is guaranteed to start the postseason on Nov. 7 at Cal State Dominguez Hills.
