Walk past RIMAC Field on any given night, and you’ll hear it: the distinct, swift rustling of feet against freshly cut grass, the blunt echo of foot-to-ball contact as an encroaching winger smashes the ball toward the net, the grunt of exertion as the keeper leaves his feet, with hands sprawled hopefully in the air.
Yes, soccer season has returned.
UCSD men’s soccer comes into their 2010 campaign led by seven seniors and an influx of young talent, but Coach John Pascale’s side have yet to prove that they can be competitive in California Collegiate Athletic Association play. The team will look to improve from last season, which ended with a 4–9–3 record in league play and without a playoff appearance. UCSD will not face an easy schedule, as the CCAA featured three of the nation’s top-20 teams in the preseason division-II rankings.
The return of two top scorers — senior midfielders David Bakal and Shane Micheil — will hopefully give the Tritons a boost, with further help coming from defensive stalwart senior and three-time all-CAA honors recipient Jared Kukura.
But the Tritons will have to replace eight players from last season, including UCSD’s all-time save leader Peter Akman. Currently, Pascale has handed off the keeper job to redshirt freshman Jesse Brennan, who will have to mature quickly to anchor the Tritons’ back line.
After two matches against Dominican University and Notre Dame de Namur, CCAA play began on Sept. 10 with a difficult home opener against No. 2 CSU Los Angeles. Though it was a tight game in the early minutes, with the Tritons holding their ground, it opened up unexpectedly in the second half as the Tritons experienced an unlucky own goal. This proved enough to get the Golden Eagles going and they added two more goals for a final score of 3–0 to the visitors.
`The Tritons had an equally tough game against No. 19 Cal State Dominguez Hills days later on Sept. 12. UCSD fell behind 0–2 by halftime, but a 75th minute goal from freshman defender Alec Arsht put the Tritons back in the game. Sadly, no late equalizer materialized and the Tritons fell once again with a score of 1–2.
The Tritons have only just begun the season, and Pascale is looking forward to future improvements.
“We are indeed disappointed with the results but we have moved on very quickly,” Pascale said.
Both Micheil and Bakal have continued to be a presence on the field in these early stages of the season, dictating the pace of play for the Tritons. Coach Pascale is confident in both their and the rest of the team’s abilities.
“We have a number of guys who have the capabilities to score goals, including Shane and Dave,” Pascale said. “I am confident that they will both find the back of the net this season.”
The arrival of freshman players has added a new layer of deft and agility to the team, as shown with Arsht’s header — assisted by sophomore Kian Malek’s cross— that resulted in the only Triton goal scored in the young season.
The Tritons depart for a Northern California road trip this weekend, facing Cal State Monterey Bay on Sept. 24 and San Francisco State on Sept. 26. UCSD returns to Triton Stadium on Oct. 1, when they will play against No. 11 Cal State San Bernardino.