CARSON, Calif. - After falling behind 3-0, the UC San Diego men's soccer team rallied for two scores in the final six minutes of regulation but the flurry of goals fell short as defending national champion Cal State Dominguez Hills walked away victorious on its home turf.
CSUDH knocked in its third score of the night in the 79th minute before UCSD found the net for the first time in the match roughly six minutes later with senior midfielder Kyle Parton recording his first career goal. At the 88:48 mark Parton assisted on junior midfielder David Bakal's third score of the season but with just over one minute to play in regulation, the rally proved to be too little and too late as the Tritons ultimately fell to 7-4-4 overall and 4-4-3 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play. The Toros on the other hand improve to 9-5-1 overall and 8-4-1 through conference action.
The three scores allowed by UCSD's defense stands at the highest total of goals allowed in a single match this season by the Tritons.
The CSUDH offense dominated play during the first half, outshooting the Tritons 7-1 through the first 45 minutes. Senior midfielder Andrew Marinez scored the period's only goal, giving the Toros a 1-0 lead in the 38th minute with a header off a cross.
CSUDH senior forward Brian Alvarez added a score less than three minutes into the second half, collecting the ball in front of the net before beating UCSD senior goalkeeper Peter Akman to the far post.
The Toros added their third score of the match at the 78:55 mark when junior midfielder Alex Munoz scored off a deflection.
Despite facing the 3-0 hole, the Tritons didn't back down, earning five corner kicks in the second half to CSUDH's one and matching the Toros in shots, 5-5. With a pass from freshman forward Evan Walker, Parton scored in the 85th minute by beating CSUDH freshman netminder Markus Dickerson to the right.
Four minutes after Parton scored, he earned an assist on a goal from Bakal on a header to the left post.
Akman made four saves in the losing effort while Dickerson totaled three stops on the evening.
The UCSD squad faces another tough road challenge when it takes on No. 13 Cal State L.A. on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. The Golden Eagles sit atop the CCAA South Division standings with a conference record of 10-2-1.
