Junior All-American Matthew Davey’s overtime score on a penalty-shot follow-up gave UCSD the necessary 1-0 lead to beat Cal State Bakersfield on Oct. 30. With the win, the UCSD men’s soccer team extends its season by an extra weekend for the 2004 California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships, from Nov. 5 through Nov. 7 in Carson, Calif.
On paper, the Roadrunners looked superior to the Tritons: Cal State Bakersfield had a seven-game winning streak, while the Tritons had lost two in a row coming into the critical game. However, the Tritons had beat the Roadrunners, 1-0, in Bakersfield back in September, and they knew that they could beat them again. UCSD came into the game needing a win to make the CCAA playoffs, and got it with less than two minutes left in the second overtime period.
Davey was awarded a penalty kick with the difference between a tie and a win on his shoulders. Davey, who has stepped up all year for the Tritons, had the penalty kick blocked by Roadrunner goalkeeper Josh Wicks, but the rebound bounced right back to Davey, who converted on his second-chance shot.
Wicks had eight saves on the night while his counterpart, UCSD goalkeeper Edward Ruhland, had four saves for his second shutout of the season. Ruhland kept the game in reach while the Triton offense continued pounding the ball into Roadrunner territory throughout the game.
The Tritons had a 5-1 shot advantage over Cal State Bakersfield in overtime and they outshot the Roadrunners, 20-13, throughout the whole match. The game was very physical, with 35 penalties and six yellow cards between the two teams. The final penalty proved to be a game-decider. According to senior defenseman Luke Russell, however, the penalty was a bit controversial.
“It feels good to finally catch a break,” Russell said. He also said that the call was similar to one made earlier in the year against the Tritons that cost them a game.
The Tritons and Roadrunners were very evenly matched through regulation and the first overtime period. Each goalie played solidly and each defense silenced the opposition. The Tritons, however, understood the importance of this game and stole it away from the Roadrunners in the second overtime period.
With less than two minutes left and a looming tie that would keep the Tritons in jeopardy of missing the playoffs, a Roadrunner defenseman tackled senior forward Tiago Venturi inside the penalty area after Venturi received a pass from junior forward Jon Krupansky. Davey, who is the Tritons’ point leader with six goals and four assists in 15 games, was an obvious choice to take the penalty kick.
With the win, the Tritons up their record to 8-4-3 overall and 7-4-2 in league play. The Roadrunners fall to 14-4-2 overall and 10-2-2 in the CCAA. With their respective records, both teams will make the CCAA championships. The Tritons broke their two-game losing streak and have improved their record at home to 5-1-3.
UCSD will play its final game at RIMAC Field on Nov. 1 as a makeup of the Oct. 27 game against Cal State San Bernardino that was postponed due to weather conditions.
The game will serve as a confidence- and momentum-booster for the Tritons going into the playoffs, should they win. The Coyotes have no chance of making the playoffs, even though they beat the Tritons earlier in the season at Cal State San Bernardino on Oct. 6.
“We’re in the playoffs now, so the next game is just to get our focus and prepare for our game next week,” Russell said.
The Tritons will be sharing the CCAA spotlight in Carson with Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Bakersfield. The Tritons are 0-1-1 against Cal State Dominguez Hills, 1-1-0 in games against Cal Poly Pomona and 2-0-0 against Cal State Bakersfield.
“Once we find out who we’re playing we’ll make a game plan, and then take it one game at a time,” Russell said.
