LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego out-shot visiting CSU Bakersfield 23 to 9, but the Tritons were unable to convert a game-winner as the two teams battled to a 1-1 draw in a Big West women's soccer match at Triton Soccer Stadium Thursday night.
The Tritons (3-6-2 overall, 1-1-1 Big West) picked up points for the second straight match while the Roadrunners now stand at 1-8-2 overall (0-1-1 Big West).
HOW IT HAPPENED
Scoreless in the 18th minute, the Roadrunners had a good scoring chance off a set piece. The Bakersfield shot hit the crossbar, but the ball caromed out to Chelsee Duran, who headed the ball into the goal. That put the visitors up, one-nil.
UC San Diego got the equalizer in the 33rd minute as
Ava D'Arcangelo converted a free kick from distance. The goal was the first of her career and it tied the match at 1-1.
The Tritons out-shot CSU Bakersfield in the first half, 8-6. UC San Diego goalkeeper
Keara Fitzgerald made four saves, as did her counterpart Flavia Burrell. The Tritons maintained possession for 57% of the half.
Neither team was able to score in the second half, though each had scoring chances. The match moved into overtime, the fourth such contest for the Tritons this season.
In overtime, the Tritons had a great scoring chance off the set piece in the 99', but
Emily Knepler's attempt was saved, and two subsequent shot attempts by
Kennedy Carter were blocked.
In the 103', D'Arcangelo sent a beautiful cross through the box, but
Maddy Samilo was unable to convert, keeping the match level at 1-1. Two minutes later, Carter had a great look from the top of the 18, but her shot was saved.
Burrell finished with nine saves, Fitzgerald with four.
QUOTABLE
"We work a lot on the distribution, it's a very difficult ball to deal with for the goalkeeper to defend," said UC San Diego head coach Kristin Jones about D'Arcangelo's goal. "We've worked a lot on that and the runs were really good and I'm glad to see us apply the things we've been working on in training. I'm happy for Ava. She's had a really good season and I'm glad she was able to get one."
"Everyone needs to look in the mirror tonight and figure out how to play a little bit better," Jones said about the match as a whole. "We need to find some consistency. [On Sunday vs. CSUN,] we can't come complacent thinking we've already beaten them. I wish we had a little bit better feeling going into that game, but hopefully we can take our frustrations from tonight and use that to our advantage on Sunday."
TRITON TIDBITS
- UC San Diego out-shot the Roadrunners 11-1 in overtime.
- Thursday's match was the fourth overtime contest for UC San Diego this season. The Tritons are now 1-1-2 in OT contests in 2021.
- UC San Diego remains unbeaten vs. CSU Bakersfield with a 9-0-2 lead in the all-time series. Prior to Thursday night, the teams had not met since 2006 when both competed in NCAA Division II.
- The Tritons are 0-2-2 at home.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will host CSUN on Sunday afternoon in a Big West showdown. The match will get underway at 4 p.m. on ESPN+ with Steve Quis and Natasha Belak-Berger calling the action. The two teams met Sept. 16 in a non-conference match, with the Tritons earning a 2-1 win that day in Northridge.
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.
