LOS ANGELES – Host Loyola Marymount and visiting UC San Diego battled to a 1-1 draw in women's soccer action Wednesday night at Sullivan Field in the final non-conference match of the season for both sides.
The Lions remain unbeaten on the season with Wednesday's result, now at 2-0-6 in 2022. UC San Diego improved to 1-7-4 thanks to the tie.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego settled in defensively from the jump and kept the unbeaten Lions' offensive attack from gaining rhythm. LMU did earn four corner kicks in the first half, but the Lions were unable to take advantage.
One of the only real scoring chances for either side during the first half came in the 26th minute when LMU went on a counterattack. Triton goalkeeper
Keara Fitzgerald came off her line to make the stop and keep the match scoreless.
UC San Diego was not credited with a first half shot attempt.
In the 53rd minute, LMU took a one-nil lead as Amanda Perez scored for the first time with Kelsey Wong being credited with an assist.
In search of the equalizer, the Tritons got a good look when
Kennedy Carter fired off a shot via a redirect in the 62nd minute but it sailed just wide for an LMU goal kick.
In the 69th minute, Carter fired a shot on net, but LMU goalkeeper Amanda Delgado made the save. The Tritons remained persistent and tied the match two minutes later. UC San Diego created traffic in front of the net and sent the ball in to the six-yard box where it clipped a Lion and deflected into the goal to level the match at 1-1 on the own goal.
Both teams had additional chances down the stretch but neither keeper had to make a late save. Each goalkeeper was credited with one save on the night.
QUOTABLE
"Coming back and getting a result on the road against a team that had allowed only two goals all year was a positive," said UC San Diego head coach
Kristin Jones '04. "It would've been easy to get frustrated and off our game when they went in front, but we stuck with the plan. When they took away our outside mids, we had to force balls through the middle and I'm happy with the way we responded."
TRITON TIDBITS
- With Wednesday's draw, the Tritons are now 1-2-3 on the road this season.
- LMU surrendered just its third goal of the season.
- Midfielder Christina Oddone made her first start of the season for the Tritons.
- Wednesday marked the first meeting between these two sides since a pair of showdowns in 1982.
UP NEXT
The Tritons resume Big West play on Sunday afternoon when they welcome UC Davis to Triton Soccer Stadium for a 2 p.m. kick on Youth Team Day. Admission to the match is free and the contest will be broadcast live 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.
