WOMEN’S SOCCER — The No. 14 UCSD women’s soccer team scored early and often on Oct. 8, defeating Western Washington University 5-0 before extending their win streak on Oct. 11 by beating Cal State East Bay 1-0. Sophomore midfielder Shelby Wong led the Triton offense against Western Washington by scoring three goals.
“Our team was really pumped up for the game,” Wong said. “The energy was great out there, and we were doing a really good job of talking to each other.”
With the pair of weekend victories, UCSD improved to 11-2 for the season. The Tritons have won six straight matches while outscoring their opponents 13-1.
Wong wasted little time starting her hat trick, scoring her first two goals early in the game just 34 seconds apart. Wong sent a kick from eight yards out into the right side of the net with assists from sophomore midfielder Anne Wethe and freshman midfielder Jessica Wi. On the team’s next possession, Wong took a long pass from Wethe, beat two defenders at the top of the penalty box and blasted a shot into the upper right corner for a quick 2-0 lead.
Wong, who entered the game with just three season goals, completed her hat trick in the 61st minute with a driving shot from the top of the penalty box off a pass from freshman midfielder Gabi Hernandez.
Sophomore forward Sarah Wong, who entered the game with just three goals on the season, completed the hat trick in the 61st minute with a rocket shot from the top of the penalty area off a pass from freshman midfielder Gabi Hernandez.
Sophomore forward Sarah McTigue gave UCSD a 4-0 lead in the 64th minute after receiving a ball from Wi and placing a shot inside the far post.
Freshman midfielder Alexa Enlow completed the Triton scoring in the 81st minute, heading in a corner kick from junior midfielder Remy Hitt.
The Tritons kept their offensive attack consistent, outshooting the Western Washington Vikings 19-9 as Wong and McTigue combined for 11 shots.
UCSD’s defense was just as solid in the victory. Sophomore goalkeeper Kristin Armstrong and freshman goalkeeper Kimberly Cushing combined for the shutout — UCSD’s sixth of the year. Armstrong had three saves in 75 minutes and Cushing picked up a save in the final 15 minutes of the match.
The Tritons have scored a total of thirteen goals over theirpast six games. With only seven games left in the regular season and playoffs looming on the horizon, head coach Brian McManus not believes that UCSD is finally performing at the level that he has always believed the team to be capable of. McManus hopes to continue the team’s level of play for the remainder of the regular season and throughout the playoffs.
“We’ve been talking about shooting all year, but tonight we tried it,” McManus said. “Tonight we did things smart in the box and took our chances.”
After winning nine of its last ten matches, UCSD will try to extend its five-game winning streak when it takes on conference opponent Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson, Calif. on Oct. 16. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Readers can contact John Beck at [email protected].
