LAS VEGAS – UNLV's Hevani Haunga scored three times – including the game-winner in overtime – as the Rebels outlasted visiting UC San Diego, 3-2, in a women's soccer showdown Sunday morning at Johann Memorial Field.
With the victory, the Rebels are now 3-1-0 on the young season, while the Tritons fall to 0-2-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the first half, UNLV had the first quality scoring chance, but UC San Diego keeper
Grace Taylor made a waist-high stop in the 11th minute. Two minutes later, the Tritons' offense went on the attack.
Maddy Samilo fired a shot that went wide but UC San Diego drew a corner kick. Moments later,
Ashlynn Kolarik found the back of the net on a beautiful strike in the 13' to put UC San Diego on top, 1-0.
The Rebels earned a corner in the 35', leading to a score from Hevani Haunga to tie the match at 1-1 entering halftime.
UNLV had three corners to two for the Tritons, and the Rebels out-shot UC San Diego, 6-3, in the first half.
In the second half, the Tritons regained the lead when
Caitlin McCarthy scored off a corner kick to put the Tritons back on top, 2-1, in the 55th minute.
The Rebels again tied the match off a cross that found Haunga, who scored for the second time on the day. The score was tied at 2-2 in the 75'.
In the 87', UNLV was called for a handball in the box, setting up a PK for UC San Diego. Tritons' captain
Delaney Whittet took the kick, but Rebels' keeper Charlotte Brisley dove to her left to make the save, keeping the match level at two apiece.
Early in overtime, UC San Diego put together a couple of quality chances.
Kennedy Carter had a great look from 30 yards out, but her shot was punched over the net by Brisley. In the 94', Kolarik sent in a beautiful cross that Carter re-directed just high of the net.
Moments later, Haunga completed her hat trick on the other end of the pitch, sending the Rebels to the victory in the 96th minute.
The Tritons out-shot the Rebels, 13-12, on the afternoon. The Rebels had six corners to UC San Diego's five. Each team committed five fouls, and no cautions were issued.
QUOTABLE
"No question it was a disappointing finish," said UC San Diego head coach Kristin Jones. "I was pleased that we were able to be productive off our corner kicks. Caitlin [McCarthy] finished her run and stayed alert which led to our second goal."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Sunday's match was the first-ever meeting between UC San Diego and UNLV in women's soccer.
- The Tritons played outside of California for the first time since the 2018 Division II national semifinal in Pittsburgh, Pa.
- Kolarik's goal was the fourth in her career and McCarthy's was her seventh.
- Temperature at game time was 98 degrees.
- For the third consecutive match, UC San Diego wore its blue uniforms.
UP NEXT
The Tritons continue their road swing with the second of five straight matches away from home. On Tuesday, UC San Diego will play at Southern Utah. The match gets underway at Noon MDT from Cedar City, Utah.
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.
