LA JOLLA, Calif. – Hosting Sacred Heart University in their home opener, the UC San Diego women's soccer team defeated the visitors by a score of 1-0 on a lone goal by Courtney Hilliard.
 
Controlling possession throughout the first half, the Tritons took 11 shots to SHU's two. In the 16th minute, Courtney Hilliard's pressure forced a turnover in scoring territory causing a breakaway. The junior took her defender down the left side feinting with her right only to bury the shot in the opposite corner with her left.
 

??? pic.twitter.com/KubmarXkBT

— UCSD Women's Soccer (@UCSDwsoc) August 19, 2023

 
While the Tritons kept SHU off the board, the visitors were physical in the second half causing more turnovers and time spent on the gold and blue's side of the field. The Tritons still out shot Sacred Heart 11 to two despite the yellow cards each team earned.
 
Earning her first clean sheet of the season, Keara Fitzgerald had a single save in the first half.

QUOTABLE


TRITON TIDBITS

• Courtney Hilliard has scored in back-to-back games.
• The Tritons last shutout was on Oct. 23, 2022 vs. CSUN.
• Five Tritons took shots tonight with all of them putting at least one shot on goal. Kennedy Carter had three shots on goal with Courtney Hilliard shooting two.
• This was the first time these two teams have met, moving the all-time to 1-0 Tritons. 

UP NEXT
The Tritons head north to face Pac-12 opponent Oregon State on Aug. 24. Kickoff is set for 2 pm in Corvallis, Ore. with the match available on the Pac-12 Network.

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 has begun a new era 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 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.