LA JOLLA, Calif. – Continuing their five-game home stand, the Tritons drew even with the Gonzaga Bulldogs in a Thursday night matchup where the two foes finished 1-1 under the lights in La Jolla.
 
Gonzaga moves to a 2-0-1 record with UC San Diego moving to a 0-2-1 record.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the first half, the Bulldogs edged the Tritons on shot with 10 total to the Tritons' six. Gonzaga was able to put three on goal while UC San Diego managed to get two on. A penalty kick in the 32rd minute gave the Tritons a chance to go ahead, but were unable to convert. Off the rebound of the PK, Jack Hagan took the other shot on goal for the Tritons. Mitchell Wilson made three stops in the first half for the gold and blue to keep the game scoreless headed into the second 45.
 
Opening the second half with a bang, Andrew Valverde and Carter Jacobus use a set play to send a cross to find Iñaki Iribarren on the far side who buried the header out of the Gonzaga keeper's reach. The Tritons led 1-0, until the Bulldogs found the back of the net on a rebounded shot in the 62nd minute.
 

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— UC San Diego Men's Soccer (@ucsdmsoc) September 1, 2023

 
Holding more of the possession in the second half, the Tritons took eight shots and forced two saves. Gonzaga committed 10 fouls to the Tritons' six with each team earning two yellow cards a piece.

QUOTABLE
"Tonight was a really challenging match, Gonzaga threw a lot of different looks at us in the first half," said head coach Jon Pascale. "We did a good job of weathering the storm and turned the attack on them in the second half."

Commenting on the Tritons' lone goal, he said, "it was great to see Iñaki get his first goal as a Triton and we hope to see many more from him." He added, "We still have a lot of work to do and we are walking away from this one wanting more, but are looking forward to getting back at it on Sunday."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Seven Tritons played all 90 minutes tonight: Evan Wellerstein, Iñaki Iribarren, Sean McDonnell, Carter Jacobus, James Redington, and Mitchell Wilson.
• Iñaki Iribarren scored the lone Triton goal, marking the transfer's first goal in a Triton uniform.
• Tonight's assist was Carter Jacobus' and Andrew Valverde's first of the season.
• Iñaki Iribarren, Alan Kim, Jack Hagan, and Max Carvalho all took shots on goal tonight.
• The Tritons and Tigers are now even in the all-time series at 1-1.

 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will be back under the lights on Sunday, Sept. 3 as they host Westcliff University with kickoff set for 7 p.m. If you are unable to attend the match in person, live stats are available on ucsdtritons.com.