CARSON, Calif. - Friday evening's match brought together two squads tied for second place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association South Division, No. 11 UC San Diego and Cal State Dominguez Hills. It also brought out the best in freshman
Alyssa Newcomer, who scored in the 88th minute to lift the Tritons to a 2-1 dramatic victory.
As the two teams edged closer and closer to overtime, Newcomer, entering off the bench in just her fourth match this season, tallied her second score of 2009 to secure the win.
On the play, sophomore Anne Wethe stole the ball around the midfield and after looking up, slotted it through to Newcomer. It bounced off one of CSUDH's defenders and left her to a one-on-one with the Toros' goalkeeper. Newcomer lined a shot into the top corner of the net.
Wethe, one of the many young leaders on the UCSD team, also assisted on fellow sophomore Sarah McTigue's first-half score that tied the match at 1-1. Despite going more than 42 minutes in the second half without recording an attempt at the CSUDH net, the Tritons found all they needed when Newcomer fired her shot over the head off the Toros' goalkeeper at the 87:42 mark.
Newcomer's game winner could not have come at a better time with the Tritons and Toros entering the match with eight wins apiece in CCAA play. UCSD moves into sole possession of second place in the South Division with a record of 9-2 and keeps pace with No. 17 Cal State L.A., a squad improving to 9-2-2 in league action after topping Cal State East Bay 4-0 Friday.
In Carson, the Toros' offense got rolling early as the squad's top scorer, sophomore forward Jessica Murphy, connected for her eighth goal of 2009 just five minutes into the match. Fellow sophomore Brooke Thompson passed across the box and found Murphy, who knocked a shot past UCSD sophomore goalkeeper Kristin Armstrong. It was only the second score Armstrong has allowed in the previous seven matches.
Fifteen minutes later, the Tritons found the back of the net themselves to tie up the match 1-1. It was a sophomore connection as Wethe earned an assist on the goal by McTigue, who beat CSUDH junior netminder Alyssa Congdon off the inside of the post. It was McTigue's sixth score in 2009, a total that ties Shelby Wong for a share of the team lead. Wethe, with her two assists on the evening, leads the team in that category.
The Tritons held a 5-2 shooting advantage at halftime but the only attempt on frame through the first 45 minutes for UCSD turned out to be McTigue's goal.
Scoring chances for the Tritons seemed to be even harder to come by in the second half. The UCSD squad failed to attempt a shot through the first 42 minutes of the second period, despite earning three corner kicks. The first chance turned out to be the only one the Tritons needed though as Newcomer found the back of the net in the 88th minute.
In net, Armstrong recorded two saves through the 90 minutes while Congdon ended the match without any stops.
The UCSD squad will return to action on Monday at 7 p.m., playing on the road against No. 17 CSULA for possession of the South Division's first place.
