Charn Hong
UC San Diego men’s soccer (1-7-7, 1-1-5 Big West) claimed a long-awaited 2-1 victory against Cal State Bakersfield (3-9-3, 3-2-2 Big West) at Triton Soccer Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 22. The triumph snapped UCSD’s historic 18-game winless streak and paved the way for a potential Big West Championship qualification.
“It’s been a long time coming, but I don’t think any of the boys are surprised by the result tonight,” sophomore midfielder Woody Brown said in a postgame interview with The UCSD Guardian.
The first goal of the night came after a lengthy back-and-forth start to the match. In the 30th minute, redshirt junior forward Brian Arens struck the ball into the open hands of Bakersfield senior goalkeeper Zenden Hart. The ball ricocheted off of Hart’s hands toward Brown, who then booted it into the net.
“There’s no feeling like it, to be honest, scoring that first goal at home in front of our own fans,” Brown said. “You dream of a ball like that just being dropped to you in the box.”
Following the opening score, UCSD’s midfield and defense controlled the flow of the game, swiftly handling the Roadrunners’ attempts to advance up the field. Graduate student midfielder Cole Barrett put relentless pressure on the Roadrunners by chasing down and snuffing out their progressions. Redshirt junior defender Evan Wellerstein complemented Barrett’s efforts, spearheading the defense’s commanding presence by occupying the middle of the field and flying toward the Roadrunner’s airborne shots.
“The defense has been trusting us to put the ball in the back of the net; we know that they can hold it down back there,” Brown said.
Near the end of the half, redshirt sophomore defender Keenai Braun bolted for a loose ball in Bakersfield’s final third, deflecting it off his chest and slamming it mid-air for a second Triton goal. Braun’s score effectively closed out the opening period, giving UCSD a confident two-goal lead going into the break.
The Tritons relied on their backline as the second half opened. Early in the period, the Roadrunners drove deep into UCSD territory to test redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Nic Thiele, who caught the wayward Roadrunner shot and maintained the Triton lead.
Minutes later, the Roadrunners marched back into Thiele’s sights. Bakersfield graduate student forward Rashaad Ogun sent the ball flying from outside of the box, which deflected off of Braun on its way into the center of the net and out of Thiele’s reach, putting the Roadrunners on the scoreboard.
Besides the Roadrunners’ 58th-minute goal, UCSD dominated the second half. The Tritons — clinging on to their 2-1 advantage — were physical and assertive on both offense and defense, countering any moves their opponent could muster.
As the game neared its end, the Tritons’ determined, gung-ho playing style led to a critical injury. As Wellerstein sprung to head away a deep Roadrunner pass, he collided with Bakersfield junior forward Chisom Ene and sustained a head injury.
Even with their star defender down, the Tritons powered forward, shutting down the Roadrunners’ last-ditch efforts to score. Thiele grabbed the ball in the final seconds of the game, ecstatically launching it as the clock hit zero on a 2-1 Triton victory.
With a victory in possession, the Tritons are now tied with sixth-place UC Davis in the conference standings with 8 points. However, the Aggies are ahead of the Tritons on goal difference. The top six teams will compete for the Big West Championship in November.
“I’m confident that we can use this momentum to ride high,” Brown said. “We can get three points again and then more in the postseason. It’s going to be big things from us.”
UCSD will travel to Sacramento State on Saturday, Oct. 25, to tough out its last away game of the season. The Tritons will return to Triton Soccer Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 1, for their Senior Night and the regular season finale against Cal State Fullerton.