LA JOLLA, Calif. – Visiting Cal State Fullerton scored a goal late in the first half and made it stand up as the Titans held off UC San Diego, one-nil, Sunday afternoon in a Big West match at Triton Soccer Stadium. The victory improved the Titans to 5-4-7 overall (3-1-3 in conference play), and Fullerton's 12 points in conference moved the Titans to the top of the Big West table.
UC San Diego (3-7-3, 2-2-1) had its two-match conference win streak snapped with Sunday's loss.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Titans had a great scoring chance in the 11th minute as Isabella Cruz raced through traffic into the box. She bent in a right-footed shot on frame, but Triton back
Talisa Lin headed the ball out of harm's way, keeping Fullerton off the board.
Play was even through much of the half before the Titans broke through in the 43rd minute. Aspen Whillock sent in a low shot that found the back of the net to give Cal State Fullerton a 1-0 lead at the half.
The visitors held a 7-2 advantage in shots over the first 45, with the Tritons earning the only corner kick of the first half.
In the second half, first year Triton
Karize Madero had a great scoring chance in the 58th minute but her shot from the top of the box sailed just wide of the goal. Three minutes later, Fullerton looked to add to its lead when Jaden Hall had a clear one-on-one chance.
Keara Fitzgerald came out to challenge and made the point-blank stop.
Third year Triton
Raquel Kalpakoff had a beautiful cutback and a good scoring chance in the 82nd minute, but Fullerton keeper Mia Ranson made the save. UC San Diego had one last chance at an equalizer in the 87' when the team's leading scorer,
Kennedy Carter, had a scoring chance but her shot was off-frame.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Triton goalkeeper Keara Fitzgerald entered the match leading The Big West with 5.75 saves per game. She made six more saves on Sunday.
- Each team had two corner kick opportunities in the match.
- Prior to Sunday, Cal State Fullerton had outscored the Tritons 4-0 over two prior Big West matches since UC San Diego began Big West play in 2021.
- The Tritons wore their white kits Sunday afternoon with Fitzgerald in light blue.
QUOTABLE
"What I told them after the match was that we had a good performance on both sides of the ball," said UC San Diego head coach
Kristin Jones '04. "I thought we were lacking a bit of that fire, that determination that we'd shown the last couple of games. But we've shown that we're a really good soccer team that can compete with the top of The Big West."
UP NEXT
The Tritons continue Big West play on Thursday when UC San Diego visits UC Irvine. 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.
