Despite a large proportion of incoming freshmen players, the 2009 UCSD men’s soccer team has quickly jumped to a 3-1-4 record. Goals have been scarce since their Sept. 4 season kick-off, but team chemistry and resulting victories have begun to pick up for the Tritons and second-year head coach Jon Pascale.
Facing Chico State on Sept. 20., the Tritons initially got on the board thanks to a first-half goal from freshman forward Evan Walker and stingy goalkeeping from Akman for a 1-1 tie. Despite being their fourth draw in only eight games, the game versus a difficult Chico State squad showed a resilience that Pascale hopes will define the 2009 season.
‘We’ve been faced with a lot of adversity these last few weeks, but we’ve remained in good spirits and have played real well,’ Pascale said. ‘We felt like we were the far better team [against CSUS], but couldn’t score goals.’
The Tritons took their first and only loss of the season in front of a whopping 1,796 fans at Cal State Stanislaus on Sept. 18. A late defensive leak led to a comeback victory for the CSUS Warriors, sparked by junior forward Victor Regalado ‘shy;’mdash; the current California Collegiate Athletic Association scoring leader.
UCSD senior defender Daniel Pavitt led the Triton attack by notching his first career goal on a free kick from inside the center circle in the game’s 15th minute. Senior goalkeeper Peter Akman anchored the defense with six saves.
After outshooting the Warriors 15-6 in the first half, CSUS retook the game’s momentum in the second half.
Regalado ‘mdash; who has scored eight goals in the Warriors’ first seven games ‘mdash; single-handedly led his team to a comeback. The game-winning goal came in the 90th minute, as Regalado rebounded a teammate’s free kick and shot it past Akman.
The Tritons suffered their first loss after back-to-back 0-0 ties at Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State on Sept. 11 and Sept. 13.
Throughout the season’s first eight games, UCSD has shown a very strong defense backing an underdeveloped and dormant offense.
‘So far, we’ve really been working hard and playing as a team. We’ve been scoring goals by moving the ball around and have brought in a lot of new contributing players that have done really well,’ senior keeper Akman said. ‘We’ve been playing really well defensively and will soon see a flurry of goals being scored on offense.’
Inexperience at the collegiate level has not proven to be an obstacle to the 2009 Tritons, as Pascale has given his new crop of freshmen a significant amount of playing time.
‘It’s great to see that we have such a deep bench and that anyone can step up to the plate when called upon,’ Akman said. ‘The bench is vital and can really support the team and push us forward. Coach Jon pushes the team on and off the field, and leads by example. He pushes us to really fight and play with energy ‘mdash; especially the older players.’
Looking for their first conference winof the season, UCSD travels to Cal Poly Pomona on Sept. 25, before heading to Cal State San Bernardino on Sept. 27.
Readers can contact Cameron Tillisch at [email protected].