After clinching a playoff spot in the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships on Oct. 30, the UCSD men’s soccer team easily took care of the Cal State San Bernardino Coyotes in their regular season finale, 4-0, on Nov. 1 at RIMAC Field.
The scoring came early and often in the win, with sophomore midfielder German Bravo starting the Tritons off to a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute. Bravo slid the ball past Coyote goalie Jeff Canada for his second goal of the season. Junior forward Jon Krupansky and junior midfielder Matthew Davey set up Bravo with the goal.
After the start of the second period, the Tritons were clinging to their 1-0 lead when their offense came to life. Junior midfielder Grant Nishio took the rebound off a shot by Davey and put it between the posts to double UCSD’s lead.
Later in the half, Bravo found the back of the net again to lengthen the Triton lead to 3-0. The goal came in the 65th minute, when Krupansky found Bravo in the right corner of the penalty box for the score.
Finally, in the 71st minute, with a win virtually secured, Davey got a taste of the net following a rebound from senior forward Tiago Venturi. When the clock hit 90:00, Davey had one goal and two assists, Bravo had two goals and Krupansky had two assists. Venturi and senior midfielder/forward David Amaya each had an assist as well.
Offense played a crucial role in the game; however, the Triton defense also contributed to the win. Senior goalkeepers Edward Ruhland and Scott Mazurier combined for the shutout, with Ruhland playing the majority of the time. He had only one save for the day, due to the Coyotes’ lack of decent shot opportunities. Cal State San Bernardino had 10 shots in the game, while the Tritons pelted the Coyotes with 20 shots.
The quality defense comes as no shock, but the offensive outburst has been long overdue.
“The team has been maturing over the year, and our offense finally caught up with our defense,” senior defenseman/midfielder Nick Marquand said.
The win ups the Tritons’ record to 9-4-3 overall and 8-4-2 in the CCAA, clinching a No. 3-seed spot in the CCAA playoffs. Their seeding matches them up against Cal State Bakersfield in the first round of the championships, held in Carson, Calif., on Nov. 5 through Nov. 7. Should the Tritons beat Cal State Bakersfield and make it to the championships, they will face either Cal State Dominguez Hills or Cal Poly Pomona. The Tritons are 0-1-1 against Cal State Dominguez Hills and 1-1-0 against Cal Poly Pomona.
Right now, however, the Tritons are focused only on the Roadrunners. UCSD won its two matches against Cal State Bakersfield this year; one win came in double overtime on Oct. 30 to clinch a playoff spot.
“There is definitely talk of them getting revenge,” Marquand said. “But we have some confidence after beating them twice.”
According to Marquand, despite their 2-0 record against the Roadrunners, the Tritons still have a lot to prepare for.
“We have some good film of our games against them, and we can prepare from the tapes,” he said.
The Tritons will also get junior defenseman Kevin Murray and sophomore defenseman Matt Horne back for the game following stints with injuries. Murray and Horne will add to UCSD’s already tough defense that has shut out eight teams so far this year.
“Our ball movement is picking up, our defense is staying as strong as it has always been, and we’ve become more of a complete team,” Marquand said. “I’d say we’re anxious to get the game under way.”
