The UCSD women’s soccer team marched their way through the California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament to be crowned CCAA champions on Nov. 9. Seven members earned CCAA honors including Most Valuable Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year.
Guardian file
The Tritons handed then-No. 1 Metro State their only loss of the season, winning the final matchup of three tightly contested NCAA Division II tournament playoff games. UCSD earned passage to the Final Four in Virginia Beach, Va., to face perennial Division II powerhouse Franklin Pierce in the semifinals, and the Tritons even scored the first goal of the game less than four minutes in.
After a superb season, the Triton women fell 14 seconds short of prolonging their NCAA championship hopes to one more overtime period.
Franklin Pierce sophomore Sonya Hughes scored the game-winning goal with only 14 seconds showing on the scoreboard in the first sudden death overtime on Dec. 4.
The final blow was especially hard to swallow considering UCSD outplayed Franklin Pierce in the second half of regulation, out-shooting their opponents, 8-1, and winning the corner kick battle, 5-0.
After Triton freshman Megan Dickey’s tally in the fourth minute of the game, UCSD’s boots went cold. Despite the shot and corner advantage, UCSD couldn’t find the back of the net. The frustration was not lost on the players or the coach.
“”I thought we had it,”” Dickey said. “”We dominated much of both halves. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way.””
UCSD soccer head coach Brian McManus expressed similar sentiments.
“”It was just a case of finishing your chances,”” McManus said. “”We just didn’t quite finish ours.””
UCSD was not alone when it came to discouraged scorers. The Triton defense limited the opportunities of Meghan Welcome and Laura Hislop, Franklin Pierce’s two star forwards. Combined, the two scored 58 of the team’s 86 goals of the season. Hislop did manage the equalizer in the first half, but the back three defenders for UCSD played well and held her to one goal.
No. 2 Kennesaw State shut out Franklin Pierce, 2-0, on Dec. 6 to win the NCAA Final Four. This was the last season in Division II for Kennesaw State, which will move up to Division I beginning fall 2004.
