LA JOLLA, Calif. - The 11th-ranked UC San Diego women's soccer team scored four second half goals en route to a 5-0 shutout of Cal State San Bernardino Wednesday afternoon at Triton Soccer Field on the UCSD campus. With the win the Tritons improve to 10-1-0 overall and 6-1-0 in CCAA play while the Coyotes fall to 4-6-0 overall and 2-5-0 in league action.
Kelly Cochran scored UCSD's lone first half goal, taking a Natasha Belak-Berger pass and beating the Coyotes' keeper for a 1-0 lead with just under four minutes remaining in the first half. The goal was Cochran's seventh of the season.
After intermission, the Tritons got back on the board quickly as Ali Lai scored from only two yards out for her fifth goal of the season. She was set up as Heather Szafraniec sent a pass up the left side to Cochran who dribbled up the sideline and cut in before setting up Lai for the tally at the 46:47 mark of the game.
The next two goals for the Tritons were scored on penalty kicks as Kelly Mayo was taken down from behind in the penalty are at the 79:13 mark and Belak-Berger netted the penalty shot. Just over four minutes later Amanda Borrenstein was tackled hard inside the penalty area and calmly made the ensuing penalty shot. The goals were Belak-Berger's fifth and Borrenstein's first of the season, respectively.
At the 84:43 mark Amanda Esquivel netted her first goal of the season, taking a feed from Lauren Segars and beating the keeper on the low side from 10 yards out.
The win for the Tritons was their sixth straight, the last five of which have come by way of shutout. UCSD netminder Mia Shirley lowered her goals-against average to a miniscule 0.57 while notching her fourth career shutout.
UCSD out-shot the Coyotes by a 21-6 margin including a 15-4 advantage in the second half. The Tritons took twice as many corner kicks on the evening, taking eight compared to four from CSUSB.
Krista Feer took two shots for the Coyotes on the night while four others took one shot apiece.
The Tritons return to action on Sunday, hosting Cal State Monterey Bay at 4:30 p.m. Following that match with the Otters, UCSD heads out on a three match road trip beginning on Wednesday, October 12 at Cal State Bakersfield.
