LAS VEGAS – The UC San Diego men's soccer team scored its first-ever Division I goal, but a UNLV strike in the 89th minute lifted the host Rebels to a 2-1 victory over the Tritons on Sunday night at Johann Memorial Field.
 
With the victory, UNLV improves to 2-0-0 on the season, while UC San Diego falls to 0-2-0.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both sides were strong defensively in the first half, with neither team registering a shot on goal. The Rebels posted the match's first shot in the ninth minute, but it sailed high. In the 27th minute, Mason Haubrich had a great look from 25 yards out, but his right-footed shot sailed just wide.
 
UNLV earned three corner kicks in the first half to one for the Tritons. The Rebels had two shots to the Tritons' one. Both teams were issued one yellow card and whistled for eight fouls.
 
In the second half, Haubrich was issued a yellow card in the 54'. Off the free kick, UNLV moved the ball down the field and took advantage of a deep throw-in to set up a goal in the 55th minute. Nicolas Likulia redirected a cross with a header that found the back of the net.
 
UC San Diego keeper Dominic Peters made a terrific stop in the 65', and the Tritons ran out in transition. Jack Hagan fed Carter Jacobus, who found Nick Cirrito. Cirrito's shot from the top of the 18 was true, leveling the score in the 66th minute.
 
The Rebels got the game winner in the 89th minute, when UNLV took advantage of a free kick and Aedon Kyra scored off a header from the top of the box.
 
UNLV was credited with 11 shots to six for the Tritons, and the Rebels had seven corner kicks to UC San Diego's four. Peters made four saves in goal.
 
QUOTABLE
"This was a tough one to swallow," said UC San Diego head coach Jon Pascale. "Overall, it was a great game against a good team. I thought our guys played as hard as they could in a tough environment."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• UC San Diego and UNLV met for just the third time, and the first since 1982.
• The temperature at Johann Memorial Field was 107 degrees at kick-off Sunday night.
• Alessandro Allen made his first start of the season on Sunday, replacing Lucas Tager who made the start in Thursday's opener.
• UC San Diego wore its white kits for the first time this season.
• The Tritons were issued three yellow cards in the match: Cooper Lachenbruch in the 20th minute, Mason Haubrich in the 54th minute, and Jonah Bryan in the 57th.

UP NEXT
The Tritons return home to Triton Soccer Stadium on Friday night for the home opener against Marymount (Calif.). The match is set to begin at 6 p.m. PT and will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Taylor Quellman and Sal Zizzo.
 
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.