THE SCHEDULE
Match 5
vs. Point Loma (1-0-3, 0-0 PacWest)
Wednesday, Sept. 14 • 7 p.m.
Triton Soccer Stadium • La Jolla
Live Video • Live Stats
Match 6
at Concordia Irvine (1-1-1, 0-0 PacWest)
Saturday, Sept. 17 • 11 a.m.
Eagles Field • Irvine
Live Video • Live Stats
UNBEATEN UC SAN DIEGO ROUNDS OUT NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
The University of California San Diego men's soccer team concludes both a season-long five-game homestand, and its six-game non-conference schedule, this week. UC San Diego (4-0) hosts city rival and fellow unbeaten Point Loma (1-0-3) in a primetime showdown on Wednesday, Sept. 14, with kickoff at Triton Soccer Stadium set for 7 p.m. The Tritons went 5-1-2 inside the friendly confines in 2015, and have won each of the first four of their 10 total home dates in 2016. They then make the short trip north on Saturday, Sept. 17, to take on a second straight Pacific West Conference foe in Concordia (1-1-1). That one is an early 11 a.m. start at Irvine's Eagles Field. UCSD is the only California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) side at 4-0 following the first two weeks of the season, and one of just two CCAA unbeatens alongside Cal State LA (1-0-3). In Tuesday's latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) West poll, the Tritons moved into the sixth position, right behind Point Loma in fifth.
TRITON SOCCER MATCHDAY
Once again in 2016, all regular-season home matches at Triton Soccer Stadium are free to attend. Parking permits are required, however, on weeknights on the UC San Diego campus. Parking permits can be purchased at machines situated at corners of either of the nearest parking lots, behind the spectator stand, as well as the Hopkins Parking Structure adjacent to RIMAC. Parking is free on Saturday and Sunday.
TRITON SOCCER NOW ON UCSDTRITONS.TV!
For the very first time, all matches at Triton Soccer Stadium in 2016 feature a live video stream on UCSDtritons.tv. The platform, the product of a partnership between UC San Diego Athletics and local broadband services and technology giant ViaSat, is in its first full year. All broadcasts are live, in high definition, and can be viewed from smartphones and tablets alongside desktop and laptop computers. UC San Diego alum and former baseball pitcher (2007-08) Tim Strombel (@Timmy2Sides) will primarily handle the play-by-play duties, with local personality Taylor Quellman (@TJQuellman) filling in, and an array of guests. Viewing is subscription-based, though it is free from UCSD campus IP addresses. A package that gives viewers access to all streamed events throughout the 2016-17 academic year is available for $34.99. The channel carries all Triton home basketball and volleyball contests, a majority of baseball, softball and water polo games, and a variety of other home events featuring virtually every one of UCSD's 23 intercollegiate sports at least once. A single-day pay-per-view option can be purchased for $5.99, meaning doubleheaders are two-for-one. Events are archived. All games have live stats. Select road matches will also have video and/or audio. Fans can access live coverage from the Schedule/Results page, or by clicking on the links above. Starting lineups, live in-game updates and other news and notes can be found by following Triton Soccer all season long on the UCSD Athletics Twitter handle (@UCSDtritons). Finally, check out the CCAA live scoreboard here to keep up on results around the league.
FREE POSTERS!
Free posters of the 2016 UC San Diego fall sports will be available at Triton Soccer Stadium during Wednesday's match. They can also be found at the kiosk inside the main RIMAC entrance.
A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
UC San Diego blanked a pair of teams at home last week, edging 2015 national quarterfinalist and 2016 preseason No. 6 Colorado Mines on Thursday, 1-0, and then routing Saint Martin's on Saturday, 6-0. Christian Cordell's first collegiate goal in the 62nd was the difference against Mines. Uly de la Cal and Andy Sartor collected two-goal braces versus the Saints, with Cordell and Justice Duerksen each adding a score. Cameron McElfresh notched his first individual shutout of the year, before splitting duties with fellow senior Tyler Shaver in his college debut two nights later.
NOTABLE START
UC San Diego is off to a 4-0 start for the first time since the 2008 season, ninth-year head coach Jon Pascale's first in charge. The Tritons also won their fifth game that year, before a scoreless draw with Cal State Dominguez Hills, and ultimately missed the postseason with a 10-6-2 overall record.
YOU WANT MORE OFFENSE? HERE'S MORE OFFENSE
UC San Diego managed just 15 goals in 18 contests a year ago. The Tritons have 11 so far in 2016 through four matches, still with two more non-conference dates to go. They scored a pair in each of their first two matches, having not produced multiple scores in back-to-back games even once in 2015. UCSD then struck for six on Sept. 10 against Saint Martin's, achieving its first 6-0 scoreline since another such home defeat, that one over Cal State East Bay, in the 2010 finale (Oct. 31). Five of those goals came before the break, marking the first half of play for the Tritons with five goals, since the second frame of that East Bay matchup.
RETURN TO PREMIER DEFENSE
UCSD has allowed just two goals over 378:19, for a goals-against average of 0.48, third in the CCAA. Only one has been from the run of play, the other a free-kick strike by Azusa Pacific. The Tritons boasted one of the top seven defenses nationally in the NCAA Division II in terms of team GAA for three straight seasons between 2012-14, but fell back to the 48th spot a year ago (1.09). The Tritons led the country in that category in 2012 with a then-CCAA-record mark of 0.44, before finishing fourth in 2013 (0.52) and seventh in 2014 (0.65).
RALLY TRITONS
UCSD posted a pair of come-from-behind 2-1 wins at home courtesy of late goals after facing 1-0 deficits to begin the year. Sam Palano volleyed in the 68th-minute equalizer and turned provider for twin brother Nick Palano with just 1:41 left in the second overtime to down West Region rival Azusa Pacific on Sept. 1. Then it was Riley Harbour's hero turn on Sept. 3 against Westmont, as he slotted home his first of the year in the 79th minute, after Uly de la Cal had tied the match late in the first half.
OVERTIME STREAK OVER
The double-overtime triumph over Azusa Pacific on Sept. 1 marked UCSD's first overtime win since Malek Bashti's first collegiate goal took down rival Chico State in the 2013 CCAA semifinals in Turlock. The Tritons went 0-1-12 in overtime contests in 2014 and 2015, with 12 straight draws since, ironically, a 1-0 double-overtime loss to APU in La Jolla back on Sept. 20, 2014.
#PALANOPOWER
The Sept. 1 season opener versus Azusa Pacific meant the first time in the four-year college careers of Nick Palano and Sam Palano that the identical twin brothers combined on a goal, and was also the first time they both scored in the same match.
BASHTI'S BACK
After missing the entire 2015 season through injury, redshirt junior striker Malek Bashti has made a huge impact in his return through four games in 2016. He is in a three-way tie for the NCAA Division II lead with five assists, having entered the year with one career helper.
FOR OPENERS
UCSD is 12-3-2 in season openers in the Division II era following a 2-1 defeat of Azusa Pacific on Sept. 1. The Tritons had won two straight lid-lifters, 2-1 in overtime at California Baptist in 2013, and by that same score at home against Saint Martin's in 2014, ahead of a 1-1 draw at SMU last year. They are thus unbeaten in their last four.
FIFTH IN CCAA PRESEASON POLL
UC San Diego is favored for fifth in the 2016 CCAA race, according to a preseason poll conducted by league head coaches. The CCAA favorite is reigning West Region champion and 2015 national runner-up Cal Poly Pomona. The Broncos, also two-time defending CCAA Tournament champs, accumulated 137 points and eight out of the 13 available first-place votes. Cal State Dominguez Hills, which earned the 2015 CCAA regular-season banner ahead of CPP, was just three points shy in second (134 points), with the five remaining first-place nods. Cal State LA, a third league foe nationally-ranked in the preseason, took up the No. 3 spot (126 points), followed by Sonoma State (100), UCSD (97) and Stanislaus State (87) to round out the conference's predicted six-team tournament field. Chico State (86) was barely outside in seventh.
2016 SEASON OUTLOOK
UC San Diego had no seniors on its 2015 roster, but has eight in 2016. The Tritons welcome back the core of their defense in redshirt seniors Cameron McElfresh in goal and Brett Sampiere and Kuba Waligorski on the back line alongside junior Kyle Panganiban. Waligorski is a two-time All-CCAA Second Team pick, with McElfresh gaining All-CCAA honorable mentions for each of the past two years without missing a single minute between the posts. Sampiere, making a permanent return to his natural spot at right back, earned All-CCAA honorable mentions in 2013 and 2015. Nolan Mac and Jeff Powers were in the lineup at times and will vie for minutes.
The offensive production should be boosted by the return of Malek Bashti after missing the entirety of 2015 through injury. Junior Uly de la Cal tied for the team high in total points from two goals and three assists a year ago. Senior Riley Harbour, one of two Tritons he shared that designation with, is back in central midfield, as are Justice Duerksen, Zachary Lagotta and Nick Palano among numerous wing options. Lagotta was All-CCAA honorable mention as a sophomore in 2015. Sam Palano joins his identical twin brother as a fourth-year senior who will be counted on.
2015 REWIND
UC San Diego is coming off of three successive postseason appearances in the form of the CCAA Tournament, with NCAA Championship berths in 2013 and 2014. The Tritons went 6-6-6 in 2015, breaking a string of five straight years with an overall winning percentage of greater than .500 under head coach Jon Pascale. UCSD lost just one of its last seven regular-season contests, and was 5-3-4 in league play.
ROSTER NOTES
Among 29 players on the 2016 roster are 23 returners, just six newcomers, and eight seniors. There are four San Diego products, in redshirt senior right back Brett Sampiere (Solana Beach/Torrey Pines HS), junior winger Zachary Lagotta (Cathedral Catholic HS), sophomore forward Nathaniel Bloom (Encinitas/San Dieguito HS Academy) and redshirt freshman midfielder Daniel Boemer (San Diego/Scripps Ranch HS).
CCAA FORMAT UNCHANGED
All 13 CCAA squads have launched their 2016 seasons, with the first bit of league activity taking place next Wednesday, Sept. 14. For the third year in a row, the CCAA slate will consist of a single round robin, with every team facing off once against one another for 12 matches total, and the top six sides (based on most points; three points for a league win; one for a tie) in the final regular-season standings qualifying for the 2016 CCAA Tournament. Cal State San Marcos, a new addition in 2015, is ineligible again this time around. First-round matchups will take place on the campus of the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The semifinals and final will be hosted by Stanislaus State for the sixth time in the last eight years, at Warrior Stadium in Turlock, Nov. 4-6.
HEAD COACH JON PASCALE
Jon Pascale, a two-time CCAA Coach of the Year through back-to-back honors in 2012 and 2013, has posted a 78-46-31 (.603) overall record in his ninth season in charge of the UC San Diego men's soccer program. He is 56-37-23 (.582) in arguably the toughest NCAA Division II conference in the nation, the CCAA. Pascale has guided the Tritons to six straight campaigns with an overall record of .500 or better, and six winning seasons out of his eight. They are coming off of three successive berths in the CCAA Tournament, with trips to the NCAA Championship in 2013 and 2014. A 1-0 home victory over Sonoma State on Sept. 29, 2013, gave him career win No. 50, while a 2-0 triumph at Stanislaus State in the very next match on Oct. 4 marked his 100th contest at the Triton helm. Pascale directed his first postseason tilt on Nov. 8, 2013, in Turlock, a come-from-behind, 2-1 overtime win over rival Chico State in a CCAA semifinal. He made his NCAA Championship debut as a head coach on Nov. 16, 2013, in La Jolla. A 2-0 home decision over Cal State East Bay on Oct. 12, 2014, meant CCAA win No. 50 for Pascale, who coached his 100th CCAA tilt at Cal State Monterey Bay five days later.
ABOUT THE SEA LIONS
Point Loma (1-0-3) has drawn three straight against quality West Region foes after a 2-0 triumph over another regional contender in Cal State Dominguez Hills. The ties came against Cal State LA, Chico State and Colorado Mines, the last two of the scoreless variety. The Sea Lions were picked to place second behind only Fresno Pacific in the 14-team PacWest in its preseason coaches' poll. Senior Tyler Allen is the PacWest's Preseason Defender of the Year, while junior goalkeeper Michael Lambert is the reigning PacWest Defender of the Week. Phil Wolf is in his fifth season in charge.
SERIES HISTORY
UCSD holds a 20-4-1 advantage in the all-time series. The scheduled date in La Jolla last Sept. 15, was cancelled by adverse weather. The Tritons held on for a 2-1 victory in Point Loma on Sept. 9, 2014, through goals by Brandon Bauman and Eric Young. Prior to a 3-0 Triton triumph in La Jolla on Sept. 7, 2013, the teams had not met since UCSD moved up from Division III to Division II for the 2000 season. The Tritons also won the previous matchup, 1-0 in overtime, in La Jolla on Sept. 22, 1999.
ABOUT THE EAGLES
Concordia Irvine (1-1-1) was picked to finish ninth in the 14-team PacWest. CUI has only played CCAA opposition thus far, all at home, with a 4-0 win over Cal State San Marcos, scoreless draw with Cal State LA and 2-1 loss to Cal State San Bernardino. The Eagles will have been idle since Sept. 10 when they take the field against the Tritons on Saturday morning. Chris Gould is in his eighth season in charge.
SERIES HISTORY
UCSD leads the all-time series, 2-1. The Tritons won 1-0 in La Jolla last Sept. 8 thanks to then-freshman Nathaniel Bloom's first career goal in the 26th minute. The teams met in La Jolla on Aug. 30, 2008, with UCSD posting a 2-0 shutout through a Tony Fernandez brace. The Eagles won 1-0 in the Tritons' 2007 season opener, also in La Jolla.
GEAR UP
For the latest in Triton athletic gear, make sure to visit ucsdtritonsgear.com. Run by UCSD Athletics' online partner Advanced-Online, the site provides an on-demand option for Triton Athletic apparel and merchandise. Fans have access to over 600 products that can be processed and shipped within 24 hours.
FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UCSD home athletic events, and much more!
SOCIAL MEDIA (#AllForOne)
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UP NEXT
The Tritons open CCAA play at local foe Cal State San Marcos on Wednesday, Sept. 21 (3 p.m.), and then return home to battle rival Chico State on Sunday, Sept. 25, with kickoff at Triton Soccer Stadium set for 11:30 a.m.
#AllForOne
