MEN’S SOCCER — The Tritons came out swinging this weekend at home and on the road, completing their first sweep of the season. Facing Cal State East Bay, UCSD scored a season-high three goals to come out on top 3-2 on Oct. 9. On Oct. 11, a shorthanded UCSD team came out victorious to finish off the Pioneers 2-0.
“We were definitely the better team in both games,” senior forward Tony Choi said. “We had control throughout most of both games. Friday we were just not completely there — giving up a couple of very weak goals. [Sunday] it was a much different story because we knew exactly what they were going to do and we were better prepared and more mentally focused to get the job done.”
UCSD is now 7-3-4 with a California Collegiate Athletic Association record of 4-3-3. In its first season in the CCAA, Cal State East Bay sports a dismal 1-13 overall and a 0-10 league record.
The Tritons will face a tougher test this weeked on the road against Cal State Dominguez Hills, which currently sits in second place in the CCAA South Division with a 7-4-1 record in conference play.
On Sunday, the Tritons came out with a bang, scoring within the third minute of the first half. The shot came from junior midfielder Aaron McDowell, for his first goal of the season.
Although UCSD dominated the first half of the game, outshooting the Pioneers 10-3, the game plan changed as junior forward Mikel Samaniego was red carded, leaving the Tritons a man short.
Despite the obstacle, the Tritons played solid defense, limiting the Pioneers chances to three shots on goal. UCSD’s second goal came from junior midfielder Shane Micheil’s pass to freshman midfielder Kian Malek, who shot a low ball past the Cal State East Bay keeper for a 2-0 Triton lead. The shutout is senior keeper Peter Akmans’ sixth of the season.
“We ran into a bit of adversity with going down a man due to a red card for a majority of the game,” Choi said. “We’ve been in a similar situation before though, and we stuck together and battled through. Our bench did a great job of coming on the field to bring some fresh legs and energy, because we had to help cover for the extra man. Our coach John has always stressed that we will beat teams with our bench and that we have one of the deepest teams. That really showed today.”
In a match that was highlighted by a rare offensive outburst, UCSD came out on top to defeat Cal State East Bay 3-2 on Friday. Samaniego, a transfer out of Seattle University, led the Tritons with two goals scored.
Despite a late comeback by Cal State East Bay, which included an 88th-minute goal and a close shot that hit the post with seven seconds left, the Tritons managed to hold on for the one-goal victory.
Samaniego and junior midfielder David Bakal combined for 12 of the Tritons’ 18 shots on Friday. Akman had four saves.
Samaniego opened up the scoring in the 21st minute, driving the ball up the left side of the field and booting a shot past the Cal State East Bay keeper from a distance.
The Pioneers came back to tie it up with just 50 seconds left in the half. Cal State East Bay’s Aric Johnson and Ryan Herriage earned assists on the goal as sophomore midfielder Manny Cardenas drove a shot past Akman. The first half saw a total of 21 attempts from both sides.
Bakal put the Tritons back in the lead when he touched in a goal off of a cross from junior midfielder Shane Mitchell, in front of the net. The goal is Bakal’s second of the season.
In the 83rd minute, a pioneer foul earned the Tritons a penalty kick. Samaniego took advantage of the opportunity and came through with a conversion, giving UCSD a comfortable 3-1 lead with seven minutes left.
The Pioneers started their comeback in the 87th minute as freshman defender Michael Rossi tapped a ball in past Akman off of a rebound. Hanging by their last thread, the Pioneers managed three more shots in the game, including a heart-stopping kick by freshman forward Arnoldo Mendoza, which barely missed the net and bounced off of the post.
Readers can contact Cameron Tillisch at [email protected].
