RIVERSIDE, Calif. – UC San Diego freshman
Max Carvalho dribbled in and found the back of the net with a rocket towards the far post in the 87th minute, lifting the Tritons to a 2-1 victory at UC Riverside on Saturday night in the 2021 season finale.
UC San Diego stopped a six-game slide, ending its first Division I season with a 5-11 record (2-7 in Big West play). The Highlanders wrap up their season with a mark of 8-7-2 (3-4-2).
HOW IT HAPPENED
Making his fifth consecutive start, Carvalho fired off two quick shots in the first three minutes of the match, but both were off-target to keep things scoreless.
The match wouldn't stay that way for long. UC Riverside's Adolfo Magana committed a foul inside the box, setting up a penalty kick for
Cooper Lachenbruch in the 14th minute. Lachenbruch converted, giving the Tritons a one-nil lead.
In the 18th minute, the Highlanders got their first shot on goal, but UC San Diego goalkeeper
Nick Shor made the stop. Moments later, UC Riverside's Jonick Piñeda drew a red card. That forced the home team to play a man down for the final 72 minutes.
The Tritons held a 5-2 advantage in first half shots. UC San Diego earned the only corner kick over the first 45 minutes.
Playing down a man, UC Riverside leveled the score in the 77th minute on a goal by Noah Lopez.
UC San Diego regained the lead in the 87th minute as Carvalho scored for the first time in his career, giving the Tritons the 2-1 advantage in the final moments of the match.
QUOTABLE
"This was a great win for us and a good way to cap the season," said UC San Diego head coach
Jon Pascale. "We got off to a great start and played well all night. Even after we gave up the goal off a corner, our guys showed grit and determination to keep battling back. I'm very proud of the effort I saw tonight."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Lachenbruch's PK goal was the Tritons' second successful penalty kick of the season in two attempts.
- The goal from Lachenbruch was his second in 2021 and fourth career.
- All five Triton victories featured a different game-winning goal scorer – including Saturday's strike from Carvalho.
- GK Nick Shor picked up his first career win.
- The Tritons out-shot the Highlanders, 13-5, in the win.
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.
