HAYWARD, Calif. - The No. 13 UC San Diego women's soccer team, behind two scores from freshman midfielder Jessica Wi, topped Cal State East Bay 3-1 Wednesday in the first-ever meeting between the two squads.
Wi tallied the first two goals of the match, giving the Tritons a comfortable lead and eventually improving UCSD's overall record to 4-1. CSUEB, the newest member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association, falls to 1-4-2 overall and 0-2-1 in league action. The Tritons are 2-1 against CCAA opponents in 2009.
UCSD dominated the action Wednesday, outshooting the Pioneers 14-6 and earning seven corner kicks to CSUEB's one.
Just more than five minutes into play, Wi received a pass from sophomore midfielder Anne Wethe on the left side and scored from roughly 12 yards out. The assist was Wethe's fourth point in 2009, which already matches her total from last season.
Despite UCSD taking eight shots in the first half, as compared to the Pioneers attempting just one, the match remained 1-0 heading into halftime. Wi got the Tritons' attack going once again during the next period, tallying her second score of the match less than two minutes into the second half. Sophomore midfielder Sara Bolton earned her first career assist as a Triton, firing a cross from the left side before Wi placed a low line drive past CSUEB freshman goalkeeper Nina Cefalo to extend UCSD's lead to 2-0.
In the 64th minute junior Remy Hitt added another insurance goal for the Tritons, shooting into the left corner of the net from 15 yards out at the center of the Pioneers' defensive box. The score was Hitt's fifth career goal and first of the 2009 season.
CSUEB tallied its only score of the match in the final minute of play off a corner kick. Freshman midfielder Claudia Luna received the cross off the restart and placed a shot to the right side past UCSD freshman goalkeeper Kimberly Cushing, who had replaced sophomore Kristin Armstrong in the 73rd minute. The match ended 3-1 though and Armstrong was credited with the win in net, her fourth of the season.
The Tritons are back in action on Friday at 7 p.m. against Cal State Stanislaus. The Warriors (4-2, 0-2 CCAA) play Chico State Wednesday night before hosting UCSD at the end of the week.
