One miss. Two miss. Red (Aztec) miss. Blue (Triton) miss.
On Saturday, Aug. 30, UC San Diego (1-1-2, 0-0-0 Big West) survived for a 0-0 draw on the road against San Diego State (1-2-1, 0-0-0 Mountain West). Both squads struggled on offense during the 90-minute affair; the Tritons failed to create chances, while the Aztecs failed to convert them.
The evening showing took place at the 35,000-capacity Snapdragon Stadium, which also hosts professional clubs San Diego FC and San Diego Wave. Though the lights were brighter than at home, redshirt freshman forward Ava Tibor — who made her college debut this season after battling injuries for years — didn’t feel too nervous going in.
“I personally don’t think [there was pressure],” Tibor said to The UCSD Guardian in a postgame interview. “I love this experience; this is once-in-a-lifetime to get to play in a professional stadium.”
The Aztecs started on the front foot, playing high up the field in pursuit of the opening goal. Whenever UCSD gained possession, SDSU would snatch it right back with an aggressive press that frustrated the Tritons.
“We thought to break the press, it wasn’t going to be about the pass, it was going to be the dribbling opportunities to escape the pressure,” head coach Kristin Jones explained. “I think what we didn’t do a very good job of is, every time we would break one line, we would pass back and play back into their press.”
While the Aztec press contributed to most of UCSD’s turnovers, the Tritons also committed several careless mistakes. Early in the second half, Triton sophomore defender Kat Harris was caught off guard in the box and pickpocketed by Aztec sophomore forward Victoria Miller. Miller was unable to convert a one-on-one with redshirt freshman goalkeeper Charlotte Wilfert from close range.
“We had some really uncharacteristic giveaways,” Jones said. “I think they were able to receive the ball with a lot of time and space and pick up their passes.”
Although the Aztecs were able to get good looks, they struggled to capitalize on crucial chances. Opportunities to pull ahead often came up empty, leaving dismayed Aztec forwards with their heads in their hands. Only five of the 19 Aztec shots were on target.
“The soccer gods were on our side a little bit tonight,” Jones admitted.
With only seven minutes remaining, Wilfert made a critical kick save at the near post, denying SDSU redshirt freshman forward Alexis Leath the game-winning goal. This would be the last chance for the Aztecs before the final whistle blew.
“I thought we held well,” Tibor said of her team’s defense. “We had really good defensive moments; we locked down big moments like corners, free kicks, and restarts, but we’re definitely a little bit lucky to get away with the 0-0 tie.”
The Tritons continued a two-week road trip against Pacific on Monday, Sept. 1, where they grabbed their third 0-0 draw of the season. They will return to La Jolla to play Washington State on Thursday, Sept. 11.
