LONG BEACH, Calif. – Trailing by a goal late against the Big West preseason favorites, UC San Diego's
Caitlin McCarthy leveled the score at 1-1 with a beautiful header in the 87th minute. But Long Beach State earned the victory as Lena Silano scored her second goal of the match with just one second remaining in the second half to lift her team to a 2-1 victory in the conference opener for both sides.
The Beach improved to 4-4-1 overall (1-0 Big West) with the victory, while the Tritons fell to 2-6-1 (0-1).
HOW IT HAPPENED
A hard foul from LBSU's Kayla Cannon just 27 seconds into the match sent UC San Diego's
Katelyn Meyer to the bench with an injury. The Tritons elected to play with 10 until Meyer was able to return several minutes later.
In the 11th minute, UC San Diego earned the first corner kick of the match.
Michelle Baddour sent the ball into the box, but Meyer's shot sailed high.
Long Beach took the lead in the 16th minute, when Silano raced in and fired a shot from the top of the box that sailed into the top of the goal, giving the home team a one-nil lead.
In the 22nd minute, Long Beach tried to add to its lead, but
Keara Fitzgerald made a pair of terrific stops to keep her team within one.
UC San Diego had a decent scoring chance late in the first half. The Tritons had numbers at the top of the box, but
Ava D'Arcangelo's shot was blocked by LBSU, keeping the score 1-0 in favor of the home team at the half.
Long Beach held an 8-4 advantage in shots during the first half, and Fitzgerald was credited with three saves. The Tritons earned two corners to one for the Beach.
In the second half, the Tritons continued to apply pressure in search of the equalizer. That tally finally came at the 86:59 mark, when
Kameryn Hoban played the ball to
Maddy Samilo. Samilo sent a beautiful cross through the area that McCarthy headed into the goal, leveling the score at 1-1.
Overtime seemed imminent, but Long Beach fired in one last shot from distance. Silano had a good look and her shot was true at 89:59, sending the home team to the win.
QUOTABLE
"Today could be a turning point," said UC San Diego head coach Kristin Jones. "We showed we can play with the team picked to win our league. While the outcome was tough, this proved a lot to us. Our buy-in was great throughout the match and we stuck to our game plan."
TRITON TIDBITS
- McCarthy is second on the Tritons with three goals scored.
- Long Beach State was picked in the top spot in the Big West preseason poll.
- Fitzgerald made four saves on the night.
- The Beach out-shot UC San Diego, 12-8. Each side had four shots in the second half.
UP NEXT
The Tritons continue Big West play on Sunday afternoon. UC San Diego will visit UC Irvine for a 1 p.m. match that will be televised on ESPN+.
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.
