LA JOLLA, Calif. – Playing its first-ever Division I match, the UC San Diego women's soccer team fought hard before falling 3-0 to Cal on Thursday afternoon inside Triton Soccer Stadium in the 2021 season opener for both sides.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Cal got on the board in the 43rd minute, when Paige Metayer found the back of the net on a set piece. Abby Borchers was credited with the assist for the Golden Bears, who led 1-0 at the half. Cal out-shot the Tritons, 5-3, over the first 45 minutes, though UC San Diego had three shots on frame to Cal's two.
 
After the intermission, the Golden Bears picked up the offensive pressure, scoring twice. A Cal goal in the 62nd minute from Mia Fontana gave the visitors a two goal lead, and Cal added a late tally in the final minute to make the final score 3-0.
 
Making her first career start in goal, UC San Diego sophomore Grace Taylor made 12 saves.
 

Cal with an opportunity but Grace Taylor makes the stop!

Watch on ESPN+: https://t.co/PR7i4OoAR3#GoTritons pic.twitter.com/7sj0YoaBD9

— UCSD Women's Soccer (@UCSDwsoc) August 19, 2021

QUOTABLE
 

TRITON TIDBITS

• Thursday marked UC San Diego's first regular season Division I match after the 2020 season was canceled by the Big West Conference due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The last time the Tritons last played a match prior to Thursday was in the 2019 NCAA Division II tournament, some 636 days ago.
• Prior to Thursday, Cal and UC San Diego had not met on the pitch since 1987.

 
UP NEXT
The Tritons will be back in action on Sunday, when UC San Diego hosts Texas Tech. Kick-off is set for 11 am, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Steve Quis and Natasha Belak-Berger.
 
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.