Senior top-scorer Matthew Davey converted a penalty kick in the 65th minute of the Tritons Oct. 5 game against Cal State San Bernardino to give UCSD a 2-1 victory.
Although UCSD fell behind early, the team later rallied with two goals in the second half for a hard-fought victory over the Coyotes.
Cal State San Bernardino took a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute, when sophomore Lorenzo Loson sent a low shot that beat UCSD senior goalkeeper Edward Ruhland on his left.
Loson knocked in his fourth goal of the season with the help from an assist by sophomore Brent Vander Eyk. The goal proved to be the only score for either team in the first half, as the Coyotes aggressively kept the Tritons at bay for a 1-0 halftime lead.
“Defensively, we started off a little shaky,” Ruhland said.
The quicker Coyotes out-played the Tritons in the first half, but by the time the second half came around, UCSD seemed determined to overcome their first-half woes.
They didn’t wait long, as the Tritons got the equalizer in the 55th minute. After junior Matt Horne sent a long ball across the right side, it bounded forward and was gathered by senior Grant Nishio. Nishio used his right foot to slam the ball to the lower left side of the goal, beating junior Cal State San Bernardino goalkeeper Pepi Lucas for his fourth tally of the season.
“Nishio’s goal was a pivotal point for the team because it was such a big confidence booster,” Ruhland said.
The Tritons out-shot the Coyotes by a 7-5 margin in the second half, and continued to put pressure on their defense.
That pressure paid off in the 66th minute as junior Ryan Velasquez streaked down the left side and was taken down inside the top-left corner of the penalty box.
Davey sent the ball to the right corner on the penalty kick where Lucas got a hand on it, but could not stop it from going in, giving the Tritons a 2-1 lead.
The goal was Davey’s seventh on the season.
“In the second half of the game, we had a well-organized defense that enabled our offense to score,” Ruhland said.
UCSD played tough defense, limiting Cal State San Bernardino to just two shots on goal. The Coyotes saw six serious tries by the Tritons, but Lucas saved four of them.
Neither team mounted another serious scoring threat after the penalty kick as UCSD held on for its first come-from-behind victory of the season.
The Tritons hold a one-point advantage over both Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State Los Angeles in the California Collegiate Athletic Association’s South Division standings with 13 points.
No. 4 Cal State Dominguez Hills is in fourth place with 10 points and a 3-1-1 record in league play.
With the win, the Tritons vault themselves into first place in the South Division, with a 7-2-1 overall record and a 4-2-1 mark in league play.
The loss drops the Coyotes out of first place, as their record drops to 5-5-1 overall and 4-3-0 in CCAA action.
UCSD beat Cal State Monterey Bay 2-0 on Oct. 9 at Triton Soccer Stadium. Details were unavailable at press time. Next up for the Tritons is Cal State Bakersfield on the road on Oct. 12.
