POMONA, Calif. - The No. 16 University of California San Diego gave up two first-half goals and could not make up the difference, dropping a 2-0 decision to Cal Poly Pomona in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) men's soccer action on Senior Day at Kellogg Stadium on Sunday.
With the result, UC San Diego fell to 10-2-2 overall and 4-2-2 in the CCAA. Cal Poly Pomona won its seventh straight and improved to 9-4 overall and 7-1 in league play. The day's action leaves the Tritons alone in sixth in the CCAA table, with the top six sides qualifying for the CCAA Tournament. The Broncos sit in second.
The rivals have accounted for the last three West Region championships, with the Tritons lifting the trophy for the first time in 2016, indeed defeating CPP 1-0 in overtime in La Jolla in the final, around Bronco titles in 2015 and 2017.
Just a couple minutes in, Brett Jones produced a left-sided, right-footed cross that fell right at the feet of fellow sophomore forward Jonathan Sabouri (Carlsbad/San Dieguito HS Academy) with his back to goal around the edge of the six-yard box, but the local product was unable to corral it in order to get a shot off.
Sophomore Triton goalie Pedro Enciso (Vista/Rancho Buena Vista HS) went to his right to parry a curling left-footed effort from Cyro Oliveira out for CPP's first corner kick in the eighth minute. He then also palmed with his left glove, a header from Brian Peek off a left-sided cross, in the 15th.
At 19:45, it was 1-0 Broncos. Eduardo Faria drove the ball forward and took a left-footed shot from outside the penalty area that didn't look like it could possibly bother Enciso. Unfortunately for the Tritons, however, it was blocked by a defender, just perfectly for Peek to poke the rebound into the bottom right corner for his fourth goal of 2018 and a 1-0 lead for the hosts. Faria grabbed the assist.
Enciso prevented a 2-0 score line, but only temporarily, in the 33rd, as Jimmie Villalobos stole the ball on the left flank, sprinted toward the penalty area and ripped a shot that the Triton net-minder was able to deflect out for another corner.
UC San Diego's first shot attempt finally came at 35:31 through redshirt sophomore winger Hunter Fields, but his right-footed attempt off a Matt Davis corner was wide.
Cal Poly Pomona doubled its advantage before the break, at 37:36. Faria fed forward to Peek, whose clever heel pass put senior Patricio Yrizar in toward goal on the right diagonal. His right-footed shot found the bottom left netting for his second of 2018.
After facing a 14-1 shot disadvantage over the first 45 minutes, the Tritons made some halftime adjustments through 11th-year head coach Jon Pascale, and were much more competitive after the interval, with an even 3-3 tally in the shot department. That included a blocked effort from a narrow angle on the left by redshirt junior winger Andy Sartor in the 86th, after an effective pass from senior Kiefer Cooksey. Additionally, a glancing Jones header just wide to the left, from a right-sided Christian Cordell cross, was not credited earlier in the period.
Enciso finished with four saves. Jakob Hansen had one save for CPP before exiting the match with just 1:06 remaining.
Having concluded a season-long four-game road stretch, UC San Diego returns to La Jolla for one final regular-season home weekend. The Tritons host eighth-ranked league leader Cal State LA on Friday, Oct. 19, at 4:30 p.m., followed by Cal State Dominguez Hills on Senior Day on Sunday, Oct. 21, at 11:30 a.m.
Triton Notes: UC San Diego still leads the all-time series, 29-10-2, including 9-2 over the last 11 ... The Tritons had won four straight meetings entering Sunday ... They are 13-5 against the Broncos under 11th-year head coach Jon Pascale, including 5-3 in Pomona, having taken three straight there since 2011, prior to Sunday ... Left back Darragh Buckley and holding central midfielder Matt Merrill were last-minute injury scratches from the starting lineup, with true freshman Noah Sonenstein earning his first start since Sept. 23, and junior center back Kelvin Uribe moving to left back for his first college action there ... The game was attended by former five-year Tritons and 2017 UC San Diego graduates Danny Glascock (2013-17) and Eric Young (2013-17), both now assistant coaches with the Division III Claremont-Mudd-Scripps men's team, currently tied for first in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC).
About UC San Diego Athletics
With 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country. The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in summer 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference. UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent. A total of 80 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 36 have earned prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships. In competition, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.
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