LOS ANGELES - Despite holding No. 13 Cal State L.A. to one goal on 24 shot attempts, the UC San Diego men's soccer team failed to get on the scoreboard, dropping a 1-0 road decision Sunday.
Facing consistent pressure from the Golden Eagles' attack, UCSD senior goalkeeper Peter Akman and the Tritons' defense turned back shot after shot. However, CSULA struck less than three minutes into the second half and the score held up for the rest of regulation. The Golden Eagles continue their dominance as the leader of the California Collegiate Athletic Association South Division pack at 11-2-1 in league play while the fourth-place Tritons fall to 4-5-3 in CCAA action.
In the first half Sunday, the UCSD offense failed to attempt a single shot. Nonetheless, the Golden Eagles' 14 shots through the first 45 minutes resulted in the same amount of scores - zero. With the match 0-0 at halftime, CSULA snapped the scoring drought with a goal at the 47:54 mark by senior forward Derrek Horn. Horn, who had entered the match off the bench in the 35th minute, earned the second-half start and the move proved to be beneficial for the Golden Eagles. Seniors Mickey Daly and Arthur Bahr earned the assists on the play.
The Tritons ended up with five shots on the afternoon, including three attempts in the final 12 minutes of regulation. Senior forward Tony Choi and junior midfielder David Bakal had shots blocked late in the match and freshman forward Evan Walker sent an attempt wide in the 79th minute but CSULA withstood the chances and held on for the 1-0 win. Golden Eagles' junior goalkeeper Tobias Hummel, of Germany, earned his fifth shutout of the season.
In the losing effort, Akman posted a career-high 11 saves. His previous record came on Oct. 19, 2007, a two-overtime win against Chico State in La Jolla.
The Tritons return home for the final four matches of the CCAA regular season, starting Friday evening when they host Cal State San Bernardino, the squad directly above UCSD in the South Division standings. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
