UC San Diego women’s soccer (4-6-7, 2-3-3 Big West) had its four-match unbeaten streak snapped on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 19, in a 1-0 loss to Cal State Fullerton (11-2-3, 4-2-2 Big West) at Triton Soccer Stadium. Titan redshirt junior midfielder Camryn Cruz tapped in the lone goal in the 33rd minute to hand the Tritons a close defeat.
UCSD is now ninth in the Big West standings, 4 points outside the top six teams that qualify for the conference championship. With only two matches remaining, the Tritons sit on the edge of post season contention. Fullerton, meanwhile, sits at fourth, comfortably near the top of the conference standings. With 9 points in conference play, the Tritons’ margin for error has all but vanished.
Fullerton dictated the tempo in the first half, forcing Triton redshirt freshman goalkeeper Charlotte Wilfert into four quick saves. Despite being pinned in its defensive half early on, UCSD eventually regained a spell of possession that produced nine shots and three corners by halftime. Sophomore midfielder Alexis Nguyen and junior midfielder Anya Lin combined for four shots on goal, including a sharp give-and-go midway through the half that carved open Fullerton’s defense. Nguyen slipped a low pass through the right channel to Lin, who cut inside and fired a curling shot toward the far post to force a diving save from the keeper. By the 30-minute mark, the Tritons were squarely on the front foot.
However, Fullerton broke UCSD’s rhythm in the 33rd minute when it capitalized on a foul that came dangerously outside the box. Titan junior midfielder Isabella Cruz’s low-driven free kick cut through heavy traffic, bobbling near the 6-yard line, before Camryn Cruz pounced on the rebound to give the Titans a 1-0 lead.
“It was a frustrating moment because the foul didn’t really need to happen,” head coach Kristin Jones said in a postgame interview with The UCSD Guardian. “We always have to anticipate there’s going to be a mistake. Fullerton reacted quicker than we did. It’s just a disappointing way to lose because it’s something we haven’t really done this season. It was uncharacteristic of us.”
In the second half, the Tritons kept the ball deep in Fullerton’s half and stirred up a handful of looks that made the crowd rise in anticipation. UCSD pushed forward in search of an equalizer, maintaining possession in the attacking third for long stretches but struggling to break through Fullerton’s back line. As the half wore on, sophomore forward Ava Tibor appeared to be fouled near the top of the box without a whistle. The missed call drew frustration from both the bench and the crowd, but play continued as the match grew increasingly physical.
Wilfert — as she has done all season — kept UCSD within reach until the final whistle, serving as the backbone of the Triton defense. The senior finished with six saves, bringing her season total to 71 — the most in the Big West.
“Our team has gotten a lot better at recognizing different presses and building out of that,” Wilfert told The Guardian after the match. “Today, we did a good job of realizing that switch and trying different things. Our program is growing a lot this season.”
Jones is focused on keeping perspective as the Tritons enter the final stretch of the regular season.
“The wins at Hawai‘i and Davis and then Thursday’s win kept us in contention,” she said. “We know what’s on the line. We need wins from our last three games. The team is ready, and if anything, we can use this as motivation. We just need to work hard on the little things and remember what’s been working. When we play well, we’re a hard team to beat.”
UCSD looked to rebound on Thursday, Oct. 23, at Long Beach State in another critical Big West matchup. However, a 0-0 draw against the Beach keeps UCSD 4 points behind sixth place and a postseason berth with only two games left. Desperate for a win, the Tritons will face UC Irvine on Sunday, Oct. 26, in Anteater territory.
