SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. – UC San Diego scored twice in the second half to tie the match, but Cal Poly scored in the 99th minute to beat the Tritons, 3-2, at Alex G. Spanos Stadium Sunday afternoon.
The Mustangs (10-6 overall, 6-1 Big West) moved into first place in the Big West win the win – their third straight. With their second straight loss, the Tritons are now 4-8-2 (2-3-1).
HOW IT HAPPENED
Right off the bat, the Mustangs took advantage of a UC San Diego turnover inside the box. Cal Poly's Nikki Trucco capitalized on the miscue and scored just 23 seconds into the match.
After the rough start, the Tritons settled in on both ends of the pitch.
Kennedy Carter fired a shot off-target in the 13th minute and in the 18th, the Tritons played a beautiful ball in that was sent on target by
Caitlin McCarthy with the header. Her shot was saved, and the score remained one-nil.
Shortly thereafter, the Mustangs fired off three consecutive shots on goal, but UC San Diego keeper
Keara Fitzgerald was up to the task on each occasion.
Cal Poly held an 8-4 advantage in shots during the first half, with Fitzgerald making four saves. The Tritons had three corners to two for the Mustangs.
The Mustangs added to their lead shortly after halftime with an Olivia Ortiz goal in the 53rd minute.
Trailing by a pair, UC San Diego responded. McCarthy had a shot blocked at the top of the box in the 66th minute. She corralled the loose ball and flicked it to
Lucy Tang just to her left. Tang fired a quick strike to the bottom right of the net, beating Cal Poly keeper MacKenzie Samuel. The goal was Tang's third of the season and it cut the Triton deficit to 2-1.
Shortly thereafter, UC San Diego got the equalizer. In the 75',
Sophia Bruno played the ball into the box. Bruno's feed found McCarthy, who headed the ball to her left where
Ava D'Arcangelo was racing in. Her shot was true – nearly in the same location as Tang's strike – leveling the score at 2-2.
The Mustangs had a breakaway chance in the final 30 seconds of regulation, but
Delaney Whittet stopped Cal Poly's momentum. Whittet drew a yellow card for unsporting conduct, but her play prevented an open look at the goal for the Mustangs, instead setting up a free kick with just 22 seconds to play. Cal Poly's only resulting shot sailed well high, and the match went to overtime.
In the extra period, Cal Poly scored the game winner in the 99' as Camille Lafaix poked it past Fitzgerald, who had come off her line to play the ball.
QUOTABLE
"It took us 10 minutes after their second goal for us to play inspired," said UC San Diego head coach Kristin Jones. "We didn't really have a spark until Lucy's goal – which was a truly great individual effort. We then saw the team we thought we had, but it can't take 60-plus minutes to put forth that effort against a team this good."
TRITON TIDBITS
- The contest was the fifth UC San Diego match to go to overtime this season. The Tritons are now 1-2-2 in OT.
- D'Arcangelo's goal was her third of the season.
- Fitzgerald matched her career-high with eight saves.
- Sunday's effort marked the first time the Tritons have scored multiple second half goals in a match this season.
- UC San Diego made some lineup adjustments on Sunday. Senior captain Kameryn Hoban made her third start of the season for the Tritons with Emily Knepler coming in off the bench for just the second time this season. Kate Hottinger came in as a sub for the first time in her 13 matches played. Christina Oddone earned her second start.
- Cal Poly now leads the all-time series, 3-0, but the teams had not played since 1985 prior to Sunday.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego returns to Triton Soccer Stadium for its final two home matches this week as part of Homecoming Week. The Tritons will host UC Riverside on Thursday (6 p.m.) before wrapping up the home slate with senior day on Sunday vs. Cal State Fullerton (2 p.m.). Both contests will air live on ESPN+ with Steve Quis and Natasha Belak-Berger calling the action.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
