The “”mile high”” altitude of Denver and the meeting of two of the top teams in the nation resulted in the second and last loss of the season for the No. 3 UCSD women’s soccer team as it fell 0-2 to Metro State College of Denver while competing in the NCAA Division II Quarterfinals.
The 0-2 loss to Metro State College of Denver was only the second of the season, but after a hard-fought battle, the Tritons finished off their very successful season with a 20-2-2 overall record.
With its previous and only loss being to Chico State back on Sept. 17, the fresh wound of a defeat was not easy for the team to handle.
“”It was horrible to lose, and we don’t have a lot of experience with it,”” junior forward Kathy Sepulveda said. “”But what was even more terrible was to see the faces of the seniors when they realized it was all over.””
The Roadrunners had the clear advantage from the start with the cold weather, the home field, the crowd and the altitude. The idea of a road game also seemed slightly foreign to the Tritons, who played their previous four matches on home turf at RIMAC Soccer Stadium.
“”We don’t like to make excuses,”” junior midfielder Ali Lai said. “”But the altitude played a huge role in the loss because our girls could literally not breathe.””
Junior defender Nicole Pepper, who suffers from sports-induced asthma, also testified to the major negative effect of the air conditions.
“”I know if we had played our game at a different location we most likely would have beaten them,”” Pepper said.
Aside from these inevitable factors, one fact still remained: The Roadrunners may have finally provided an evenly matched competition for the Tritons.
“”They were definitely the best team we played all year,”” sophomore forward Natasha Belak-Berger said. “”Unlike the teams we’ve played so far, they actually played their own game, as opposed to adapting to our game.””
The first Metro State College goal came in the 32nd minute of play off of a Roadrunner corner kick, which caused a break in the Triton defense.
“”They had a well-executed play that caused a miscommunication in our defense, and they scored,”” sophomore goalkeeper Jessica McGovern said.
“”We expected to win, naturally, and with the first 10 minutes of the game we thought it would all go according to plan,”” Sepulveda said. “”But their first real attack on goal really brought us down.””
Though the Tritons’ momentum was at a standstill for the remainder of the first half, they managed to come back in with their usual second-half fighting spirit to earn the narrow 8-7 shooting advantage over the Roadrunners.
However, the Roadrunner defense was quick to react and kept a mark on each Triton player, swarming every offender who posed a threat to their net, where 5-foot-8-inch senior keeper Rachel Zollner guarded the goal, limiting UCSD mostly to outside shots.
“”We pushed hard the second half and had some opportunities,”” Sepulveda said. “”We knew that if we could just get one goal, another would come quickly, but it just wasn’t our day.””
The final blow by the Roadrunners swooped past McGovern into the left corner of the Triton net from 25 yards out, bringing the score to 0-2 in the 66th minute of play. Senior forward Kylee Hanavan, who also assisted the first goal in the game, made the final shot.
“”It was an amazing shot which I had no chance of saving,”” said McGovern, who has made 60 saves in 2,117 minutes of play this season.
As the game came to a close, the team said goodbye to a national title, and four seniors: midfielders Kelly Cochran, Megan Dickey, the injured Heather Sugg, and forward Alise Malley.
From 2003 to 2006, their Triton team record moved from 18-3-1, 14-4-1, 18-4-0 to rest at the current 20-2-2.
“”Initially we all cried,”” Lai said. “”But by the time we got to the airport an hour later, we realized that it was a great end to a great season. Our coach kept telling us that our team had the talent and ability to go all the way this year, and we still believe it, but got unlucky this game.””
