In a match that was much closer than the Tritons would have liked, No. 6 UCSD defeated No. 14 UC Davis in a come-from-behind 6-5 win before 552 fans at the Schaal Aquatic Center in Davis, Calif on Sept. 30. Junior two-meter man Chris Finegold broke open a 5-5 tie mid-way through the fourth quarter, scoring the only goal of the last period and giving the Tritons enough leeway to defeat the Aggies for the second time this season.
UC Davis struck first just after two minutes into the first quarter as junior Patrick Jacobson came up with his first of three goals in the game. The Tritons were quick to rebound, however, with goals by juniors Matthew Budnick and Chris Eichholz helping to gain back the advantage by the end of the first quarter.
First on the offensive in the second quarter, the Aggies compromised the Tritons’ lead with two early goals. Senior Nate Cooper and freshman Adnan Jerkovic retaliated for UCSD, throwing back one goal apiece to recapture a 4-3 lead going into the second half.
UC Davis’ Jacobson issued his third goal of the game for one of the Aggies’ two scores early in the third period to give them a 5-4 lead with 3 minutes, 11 seconds remaining in the period. With only 2:05 showing on the game clock, Budnick scored his second of the game to knot the contest at five through the remainder of the third period.
Fatigue and tight defense weighed heavily against both teams’ offenses in the final period. Finegold’s goal with 3:50 on the game clock turned out to be the difference in the final score, but the victory belonged in large part to junior goalie Colin McElroy, who collected seven saves in the game. His last save came with less than 10 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, as UC Davis’ Conor Duignan took a shot from point-blank range at the Triton cage. McElroy blocked the attempt, securing the Triton win.
UCSD showed a definite strength in its ability to draw ejections against its opponents and to use those man-up opportunities effectively. The Tritons capitalized on four six-on-five advantages in the game, while the Aggies only converted two of their three chances.
The Tritons were back in action on Oct. 2 and Oct. 3 at the NorCal Tournament hosted by the University of Pacific in Stockton, Calif. Results from the tournament were not available at press time.
