On Friday, Oct. 12, UCSD faced second place in the South Division, CSU Los Angeles. The Tritons took an early lead just over nine minutes into the match, as sophomore defender Michelle Yasutake slotted the ball to senior midfielder Jessica Wi. Wi — UCSD’s second top goal-scorer — played a cross through to junior forward Izzy Pozurama. Pozurama got in front of Los Angeles keeper Gabriella Batmani to flick a header in to win the game.
“We started off the game really well, but I think in the second half the play really lagged,” Pozurama said. “We weren’t connecting our passes and finding each other. Luckily, our defense were able to hold our lead.”
On Sunday, Oct. 14, Pozurama scored two goals, leading UCSD to a 3–1 win over southern California rival CSU Dominguez Hills. For her efforts, Pozurama, who has taken a backseat to upperclassmen in years past, was named CCAA Player of the Week.
“Last year as a redshirt freshman, I came off the bench, and only played around 40 minutes a game,” Pozurama said. “This year as a starter, it’s good to know that I’m making more of an impact on the team, and assuming more of a leading role.”
The two wins have put UCSD, 8-1-2 in the CCAA, eight points in front of second place in the CCAA South Division CSU Los Angeles and nine points in front of third place Cal Poly Pomona. With four conference matches left in regular season play, the Tritons have all but clinched a spot in the CCAA Championships, while in the North Division, the race has tightened up between No. 5 Sonoma State and No. 20 CSU Stanislaus.
“With the two wins we have moved up in front of CSU Stanislaus, but are still behind Sonoma State,” Pozurama said. “Hopefully this weekend we can go ahead of Sonoma too.”
The Tritons’ next game is slated for next Friday at RIMAC Field. The match is expected to be one of the most anticipated conference games this season, as CSU Stanislaus has the most dangerous striker in senior Karene Demery. Demery has scored the most goals in the conference with 14, and was named to the all-CCAA First Team in 2011.
“We know [CSU Stanislaus] is a good team,” Pozurama said. “We know that they have one of the best forwards in the CCAA. We will probably man-mark her to take her out of her game. From there we’ll just try and play our own game.”
