With the California Collegiate Athletic Association South division title on the line, the UCSD men’s soccer team lost 1-0 to Cal State San Bernardino at Coyote Field in San Bernardino, Calif., on Nov. 3. The game marked the end of the regular season for both teams, but the Coyotes and the Tritons begin the CCAA Championships at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Nov. 7. UCSD will play the hosting Toros in the semifinal round of the conference tournament at 7 p.m.
The Tritons enter the postseason as the wild card team after falling to second with a loss on Nov. 3. With the victory, the Coyotes ended the season on a four-game winning streak and pushed their point total to 25. Although the Tritons also finished with 25 points, they lost the tiebreaker to Cal State San Bernardino because the Coyotes had a better record than UCSD against the division’s third place finisher ‹ the Cal Poly Pomona Broncos. Cal State San Bernardino swept a pair of games against the Broncos, while the Tritons split their two matches with Cal Poly Pomona.
UCSD had a chance to wrap up the division title at home against Grand Canyon on Nov. 1, but the Tritons couldn’t hold onto a 1-0 lead and eventually lost 2-1. That loss opened the door for the Coyotes, who stepped right through it, leaping over UCSD in the standings. Now the Tritons are forced to prepare for four-time defending CCAA champion Cal State Dominguez Hills, ranked No. 3 in the nation, in a Nov. 7 conference semifinal matchup.
“”We’re looking forward to playing Friday,”” UCSD head coach Derek Armstrong said. “”We should have put away Grand Canyon at home, and that would have kept us out of this mess. But we’re looking forward to it.””
In the Nov. 3 contest, the Coyotes got their goal at the 30-minute mark from midfielder Bary Steele, who one-timed a pass from teammate Johnny Richardson and beat Triton goalkeeper Jeremy Cookson from 20 yards out. UCSD made an attempt to tie the game, recording eight shots and eight corner kicks in the second half.
“”It was tough to bear that one. We just couldn’t buy a goal,”” Armstrong said.
Although the Tritons have lost their last two games after winning the previous four, Armstrong is still pleased with his team’s play.
“”We were doing everything right. The difference between now and when we were winning and scoring three goals a game is finishing,”” Armstrong said. “”But I’m happy with how we’re playing, apart from scoring goals.””
UCSD will definitely need to score a few goals this weekend if it hopes to extend its season. At Cal State Dominguez Hills, the Tritons will be up against a physical Toro team, which lost a red-card-plagued game to UCSD, 3-2, on Sept. 28. If the Tritons get past the nation’s No. 3 team on Nov. 7, they will take on the winner of the other semifinal game between Cal State San Bernardino and No. 12 Chico State in the finals on Nov. 9.
To continue on to the NCAA Division II playoffs on Nov. 13, the Tritons will have to win the CCAA Championship. UCSD will probably not be selected for the national tournament, but it could earn a berth into the NCAAs by winning the conference championship.
“”We’ll be playing against one of the nation’s top teams, and it’s up to us now,”” Armstrong said. “”Now it’s down to our own efforts.””
