POMONA, Calif. - The eighth-ranked University of California San Diego women's soccer team overturned a 1-0 halftime deficit to edge Cal Poly Pomona, 2-1, in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action Saturday at Kellogg Field.
At the site of their record ninth CCAA Tournament title last Nov. 8, the Tritons rallied in the second period to complete the league season a perfect 12-0. It marks the conference's first perfect slate since Sonoma State went 14-0 in 1998, and is the first one in the storied program's history since joining the CCAA in 2000. UCSD had in fact never even gone unbeaten in a CCAA season.
UC San Diego improved to 16-2 overall with a 13th successive victory. Cal Poly Pomona dropped to 7-6-3 overall and 6-4-2 in league play.
The first shot of the contest did not come until a long-range effort from senior center back and co-captain Meghan Berry in the 15th minute, that went harmlessly wide to the right off of a free-kick feed from defensive mate Aimee Ellis.
Moments later, at 16:02, Bronco senior Tori Tappero opened the scoring on her Senior Day, skipping a right-footed shot from just outside the penalty area on the left side, over the reach of Triton goalkeeper Itzel Gonzalez and into the right netting. It was Tappero's first of 2016, and was credited as unassisted.
That strike ended UCSD's lengthy shutout streak of nine consecutive games and 851:26 in total, both the Tritons' longest of their NCAA Division II era, since 2000. It was just the second goal they surrendered against a league opponent, and marked the very first time they trailed throughout conference play.
The Tritons missed equalizing with less than two minutes to play. Summer Bales lifted a booming right-sided corner kick, which was perfectly headed back across the goalmouth at the far post by fellow sophomore Kelsey Kimball. Fourth-year senior Kristen Sampietro was barely unable to get a touch on it on the opposite side.
UCSD denied a second early in the second half, as a dangerous corner kick into the scrum fell to Natalie Di Angelo, whose shot went into the clutches of Gonzalez.
It still felt all along like it was just a matter of time. It was.
At 63:25, the Tritons had their leveler. Junior Katie O'Laughlin (Carlsbad/Pacific Ridge School) took a right-footed shot from the right diagonal outside the area, which Bronco goalkeeper Ricki Ives saved, but was not able to catch. The rebound fell to strike partner Mary Reilly (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS) right in front of goal. The sophomore starlet still had some work to do, taking two touches to find an opening through the defender in front of her, before calmly slotting into the right side for her 10th and her team's 50th of the season. The assist was O'Laughlin's eighth.
In the 75th, UCSD gained the 2-1 edge. Bales again provided a perfect back-post corner from the right side, and O'Laughlin made no mistake from inside six yards, heading into the upper left netting for her league and West Region-leading 15th. For Bales, it was a fifth helper on the year.
The Broncos came agonizingly close to knotting the score again in the 81st, but senior Hailey James shot over the crossbar from a right-sided cross.
Gonzalez collected one save in goal for UCSD. Junior Ricki Ives had two stops for CPP. The Tappero goal was CPP's only attempt over the first 45 minutes.
The Tritons fly to Northern California for a third time this season this Wednesday, Nov. 2, to kick off their CCAA Tournament title defense in Turlock at Warrior Stadium on the campus of Stanislaus State on Friday, Nov. 4, in the semifinal round as the top seed. UCSD will await Tuesday's first-round winner in Pomona between No. 4 CPP and No. 5 Stanislaus State, in the late women's semi at 7 p.m. Friday.
Triton Notes: UCSD has outscored opponents 51-7 this year as the West Region's top offensive side, and an incredible 35-2 after halftime ... Midfielder Elisa Martinez missed a second straight game through injury, and was again replaced in the starting lineup by fellow junior Brie Diaz.
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