Nicoletta Gagliano
On Saturday, Oct. 4, at Triton Soccer Stadium, UC San Diego men’s soccer (0-6-4, 0-0-2 Big West) tied 1-1 with UC Davis (0-6-4, 0-1-1 Big West), extending the Tritons’ winless streak to 14. The Tritons scored midway through the second half, only for the Aggies to respond with a goal of their own 11 minutes later, resulting in UCSD’s fourth draw of the season.
The first half of the game was filled with fouls and spirited play. The Aggies committed 10 fouls — one less than 30 seconds into the game — were ruled offside four times, and earned two yellow cards. The first yellow was given to an Aggie who threw down Triton freshman midfielder Sean Ueda after he managed to swipe the ball. Later, UC Davis head coach Dwayne Shaffer argued a handball call, earning the Aggies another yellow.
Although neither team managed to score in the first half, the Tritons nearly took the lead in the 26th minute. Redshirt freshman midfielder Tyler Cash sent the ball past the goalkeeper, letting the ball bounce toward the goalpost, but an Aggie defender kicked it away mere moments before it hit the ground over the goal line.
The first half ended 0-0, with seven shots taken by the Tritons and graduate student goalkeeper Nolan Premack saving two Aggie shots.
The attacking intensity ramped up in the second half; both teams combined for 23 shots in the final 45 minutes. With 21 minutes remaining, freshman midfielder Adam Dunbar found an opportunity to score, evading the Aggie defense and sending the ball into the left corner of the goal, just grazing the goalie’s glove. This right-footed finish was Dunbar’s first collegiate goal and pushed the Tritons ahead of the Aggies 1-0. This lead did not last long; 10 minutes later, the Aggies responded with a goal of their own. Redshirt senior defender Gavin House sent the ball flying past Premack, tying the game 1-1.
Desperate to retake the lead, the Tritons made five more unsuccessful shot attempts. The game ended in a 1-1 tie, with both teams unable to obtain their first win of the season. The tie marks 14 winless games for the Tritons since last October — the longest winless streak in program history.
The Tritons will look to put an end to their misfortune on Wednesday, Oct. 11, when they head north to play UC Riverside. Despite a 0-0-2 start to conference play, UCSD sits seventh place in the Big West table.