LA JOLLA, Calif. – Saint Mary's senior forward Nayeli Diaz scored three goals as the Gaels topped UC San Diego, 4-2, at Triton Soccer Stadium on Sunday afternoon as part of Alumni Day.
Saint Mary's is 4-1-2 with the Sunday win while the Tritons are now 1-5-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The match was frantic in the early going, and the visiting Gaels peppered the Tritons back line with eight shots in the first 15-plus minutes of the first half. Saint Mary's broke through in front in the 15th minute when Tessa Salvestrin played the ball in to Nayeli Diaz who deflected the ball into the back corner of the net.
UC San Diego netted the equalizer in the 35th minute. After a throw-in,
Kennedy Carter battled through traffic and fired off a shot from distance beating Saint Mary's keeper Taylor Poland to tie the match.
Saint Mary's held a decisive 15-2 edge in first half shots, but the match was level at 1-1 at the break. Triton goalkeeper
Keara Fitzgerald had the only two saves of the first half.
The Gaels wasted little time regaining the lead in the second half, as Diaz scored just 45 second after halftime. Emily Jensen scored in the 48th minute to give Saint Mary's a 3-1 advantage. In the 50th minute, Diaz scored from inside the 18 to complete her hat trick.
The Tritons continued to battle, earning a corner kick in the 61st minute. The ball was initially cleared but on a second opportunity,
Lindsey Park fed
Natalie Abel with a beautiful header, and Abel put it away from the top of the six-yard box for her first Triton goal.
For the match, Saint Mary's out-shot UC San Diego, 21-8. The Gaels earned three corner kicks while the Tritons had three.
QUOTABLE
"Credit to Saint Mary's. That's a good team and they had a good game plan against us," said UC San Diego head coach
Kristin Jones '04. "I don't think our team showed up today. We did not put our best performance out there and it's on us as coaches and as a team to figure out why. All of the things we talk about – character, bravery – we didn't see that and we all need to figure out how to make sure we are ready for Wednesday night."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Carter's goal was her second of the season and seventh career. Both of her 2022 tallies have tied the match.
- Abel's score was the third of her career. She scored twice as a freshman at Texas A&M.
- Sunday was the first time UC San Diego has surrendered more than two goals in a match this season.
- UC San Diego used the same starting lineup for the second consecutive match with Mika Celeste starting in the midfield.
- Game time temperature was 80 degrees under sunny skies.
- At halftime, UC San Diego unveiled a plaque in recognition of the new Brian McManus Triton Women's Soccer Scholarship Endowment.
- The Tritons wore blue for the third time this season, with GK Keara Fitzgerald in light blue.
UP NEXT
The Tritons continue their home stand on Wednesday night when they host San Francisco at 7 p.m. Admission is free and the match will air live on ESPN+ with Steve Quis and Natasha Belak-Berger calling the action.
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.
