This season, UCSD has outscored its opponents 31-10, with 11 out of its 17 field players scoring at least one goal. Offensive team play has been characteristic of this Triton squad, as was on display in Sunday’s match when three different Tritons netted goals to obtain a decisive win at home.
The first goal on Sunday came 18 minutes into the match, when Sarah McTigue got around her defender inside the goal box. The junior forward coolly slotted the ball near-post past the Warrior’s goalkeeper, giving McTigue her sixth goal of the season, and the 17th of her career.
The Triton defense — made up of sophomore Ellen Wilson, sophomore Hayley Johnson and junior Sara Spaventa — smothered the Warriors, allowing CCAA top scorer Karenee Demery only one shot on goal for the match. The trio, who have worked together in the back for two seasons, have played a major role in the Triton success as of late, letting through only two goals within the past four conference matches.
“With a year under their belt, the defensive line have gotten continually better with each game, and they make my job a lot easier,” goalkeeper Kristin Armstrong said. “They work on both sides of the field, helping our attack and feeding balls to the forwards.”
The teams went into the half with the score 1-0 in favor of the Tritons. In the 50th minute, junior midfielder Shelby Wong made a run down the left flank, managing to cross the ball into Annette Ilg. The grad student forward received the ball six yards from goal and hit a hard strike to put the Tritons up 2-0.
Five minutes later, the Tritons secured the win with another combination from Ilg and Wong. In the 55th minute, junior midfielder Annie Wethe sent a free kick toward Ilg’s head, who managed to flick the ball into the penalty area. Wong found herself unmarked on the far post and finished a well-hit volley to put the Tritons up 3-0.
The Tritons controlled possession for the remainder of the match, denying the Warriors any offensive chances as Armstrong recorded her eighth shutout of the season.
“I was happy that we were finally able to play well from start to finish,” Armstrong said. “It was some of the best soccer we’ve played all season. The possession was good, and the finishing was excellent.”
The win puts the Tritons in second in the CCAA South Division standings, positioning them in front of Southern California rival Cal State Dominguez Hills and just one point behind Cal State Los Angeles. The Tritons are also unbeaten in nine matches in addition to their six-game win streak.
With just four games left in the season, the Tritons will look for two more wins on the road this weekend, where they will face Cal Poly Pomona on Friday, Oct. 22 and Cal State San Bernardino on Sunday, Oct. 24. The Tritons took a 3-2 overtime victory over Pomona in their last meeting on Oct. 3, while UCSD earned a comfortable 2-0 over San Bernardino on Oct. 1.
