ARCATA, Calif. ? The 4th-ranked UC San Diego women's soccer team needed very little time to shake off the rust from a 10-day layoff, scoring twice in the first 18 minutes of the match for a 2-0 victory at Humboldt State on Friday afternoon in Arcata. With the win the Tritons remain unbeaten in 2007 and improve to 9-0-1 overall and 6-0-1 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play. The loss drops the Lumberjacks to 3-9-2 overall and 1-7-0 in league action.
Senior Ali Lai netted both goals while junior Natasha Belak-Berger picked up the assists on the two goals on Friday. Lai found the back of the net for the first time at the 12:03 mark, taking the Belak-Berger pass and beating HSU netminder Michela Hernandez for a 1-0 advantage. Lai's second tally, which was her fifth of the season, came at the 17:53 mark as Belak-Berger's fourth assist of the year helped to put the Tritons up by a 2-0 margin that would not be relinquished.
The Tritons dominated all of the offensive categories on the day, taking 20 shots, 12 of which were on goal, while also taking nine corner kicks. Humboldt State only took six shots in the match, two of which necessitated saves from UCSD's goalkeeper Jessica McGovern. The Lumberjacks only managed two corner kicks and committed eight fouls in the loss, two more than the Tritons.
McGovern picked up her sixth shutout of the year while lowering her goals-against average down to a miniscule 0.39 on the season. She currently ranks second and third in the CCAA in shutouts and goals-against average, respectively.
In addition to the win, head coach Brian McManus also got some good news as Kathy Sepulveda returned to action for the first time since breaking her arm during the team's first game of the season back on August 26. The senior forward played for 64 minutes with the cast on her arm heavily wrapped with soft material, allowing her to play.
McManus' squad continues its current two-match road trip through northern California on Sunday, playing at Sonoma State on Sunday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. in Rohnert Park. The Seawolves fell to 2-5-1 in league play after suffering a 2-0 loss at home to Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday afternoon.
