IRVINE, Calif. – UC San Diego traveled north to Irvine Thursday, battling the host Anteaters to a scoreless draw in Big West women's soccer action at Anteater Stadium. The Tritons (3-7-4 overall, 2-2-2 Big West) earned at least one point for the third time in their last four conference matches. UC San Diego currently sits tied for fourth in the conference standings with eight points.
UC Irvine is now 4-6-4 (1-2-3 Big West) following action on Thursday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Irvine's Tati Fung tried to make an impact early, firing a shot wide in the fourth minute. Fung tried again moments later on the ensuing corner kick, but Tritons' goalkeeper
Keara Fitzgerald made the stop. In the 25', UC San Diego drew a foul about 25 yards out. Sophomore
Talisa Lin took the free kick and served it in, but Anteaters' keeper Glo Hinojosa made the save waist-high to keep the match scoreless.
Back on the other end of the pitch, UCI's Alyssa Moore ripped a shot from close range that hit the crossbar in the 33rd minute. Ten minutes later, it was Laila El Behery with a tremendous strike through traffic from 11 yards out, but Fitzgerald once again stayed focused and made the save.
UC Irvine held a 9-2 advantage in shots over the first 45 minutes, with Fitzgerald making four saves. The Anteaters had the only two corners in the first half.
In the 75th minute, the Tritons earned their second corner kick of the match. Lin served it in, but
Audrey Reed's shot was wide.
TRITON TIDBITS
- The Tritons remained unbeaten against the Anteaters as members of The Big West. UC San Diego is now 1-0-2 vs. Irvine.
- Triton goalkeeper Keara Fitzgerald entered the match leading The Big West with 5.75 saves per game. She notched her third clean sheet of the season.
- Triton back Katelyn Meyer was issued a yellow card in the 85th minute.
- The Tritons wore their white kits Thursday night with Fitzgerald in light blue.
QUOTABLE
"They came out firing all cylinders and really tested us in all areas early on. Thankfully, Fitzy came up big for us all night – particularly in the first half," said UC San Diego head coach
Kristin Jones '04. "This is tough place to play so it was big for us to come in here and get another result. We asked Karize [Madero] to make some adjustments to help absorb their pressure, and she did a great job."
UP NEXT
Big West play continues for the Tritons on Sunday when UC San Diego visits Long Beach State. The match kicks at 6 and will air live on ESPN+ with live stats 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 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 84 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.
