LA JOLLA, Calif. – In a home exhibition game on Saturday, Aug. 20, UC San Diego hosted the NCAA Division II Cal Poly Pomona Broncos, tying at zero's over 90 minutes of physical play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons and Broncos went scoreless in the first half. UC San Diego took three shots with one on goal. Beginning in the Broncos' box, Max Carvalho added pressure with Carter Jacobus, who tipped a ball back to defender Jake Serpa for a shot that was blocked by the CPP defense. The next shot went high over the net as defender Asa Gibson sent it from just outside the left corner of the 18-yard box. Midfielder Mason Haubrich sprinted down the right field line with the ball to send a shot to the Broncos' left corner.
 
It was a physical half as the two teams recorded a total of nine fouls in 45 minutes with CPP earning a yellow card in the 22nd minute. The physicality continued into the second half as two more yellow cards were awarded, one for each team. A combined eight fouls were committed in the second half by the two teams as the pressure for a goal mounted.
 
Increasing the attack, UC San Diego added seven more shots to their stat line as Haubrich and Gibson added pressure from the midfield and defense, with forwards, Carvalho, Alan Kim, and Nick Cirrito adding their own four shots from the front line. Starting the pressure early in the second half, Haubrich sent to shots from the right wing in that were unable to squeeze through the defense. Gibson had another long shot from the left corner just outside of the 18-yard box that forced the Broncos' goalie to jump and stretch his full length to save. Carvalho book ended Kim's shot inside of the Broncos' box but all three shots were blocked as defenders crashed in around them. In the final minutes, Haubrich sent a long ball up the field to Cirrito who ran it down for a one touch shot that was deflected at the last moment by the defense chasing him down.

Allowing no shots on goal, the Tritons' defense shut down the CPP attacks throughout the entire 90 minutes.
 
Neither the Tritons nor the Broncos were able to score a goal before the clock struck zero and the competitive exhibition ended in a tie.
 
QUOTABLE
Head coach Jon Pascale planned tough match ups in these past two exhibition games, saying, "we wanted to test ourselves in these match ups. Cal Poly Pomona threw a lot at us, and we responded well. They are a dangerous and dynamic team, and we limited their chances on goal."
 
 "Euan Clark and Adam Walker organized our back line while Asa Gibson and Jake Serpa were able to add pressure on the attack by getting in attacking position and adding shots of their own," Pascale commented about his defensive line.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Cal Poly Pomona competes in the California Collegiate Athletic Association and were slated for a second-place finish in the 2022 conference's preseason poll.
• Defenders, Noah Sonenstein, Adam Walker, Asa Gibson, and Jake Serpa all played for the full 90 minutes of the competition.
• UC San Diego was a previous member of the CCAA before transitioning to DI and the last time these two teams met was in the finals of the CCAA Tournament back in 2019. 

UP NEXT
The Tritons will officially open the 2022 season at the Knoles Field vs. the Pacific Tigers on Thursday, Aug. 25 at 7:00 pm. Live stats will be available on ucsdtritons.com
 
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.