MALIBU, Calif. – UC San Diego wrapped up non-conference play with a 4-0 setback at Pepperdine on Thursday afternoon at Tari Frahm Rokus Field. Triton senior goalkeeper Keara Fitzgerald matched her season high with nine saves, but four early first half goals for the Waves stood up.
 
With the victory, Pepperdine improves to 3-2-5 on the season while the Tritons drop to 1-5-3 with Thursday's setback.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Pepperdine broke through in just the second minute of the match when Victoria Romero found Karina Gonzalez, whose goal gave the home side a one-nil advantage out of the gate. In the sixth minute, Tori Waldeck added a goal for Pepperdine. Less than two minutes later, the Waves earned a penalty kick which was converted by Julianna Duckett. Waldeck scored again at 16:02.
 
Down four, the Tritons had some strong runs in the latter part of the half including from senior captain Kennedy Carter and junior Audrey Reed. On the other end, Fitzgerald made four big saves.
 
After halftime, the Tritons played Pepperdine even. In the 72nd minute, UC San Diego had its best scoring chance of the afternoon. Lizzy Teran played a ball in to Courtney Hilliard from the right flank. Hilliard's shot hit off the cross bar and appeared to cross the goal line, but the apparent score was waved off. The teams played on, and Raquel Kalpakoff sent in the rebound, but Pepperdine keeper Harlee Head made the stop.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Pepperdine held a 17-7 advantage in shots. The margin was 10-3 in the first half.
• Kennedy Carter (first half) and Talisa Lin (second half) were issued yellow cards for the Tritons.
• UC San Diego wore its white kits Thursday afternoon.
• Temperature was 68 degrees at game time under partly cloudy skies.

 
QUOTABLE
"We shifted a little bit tactically and that gave us extra cover but also more options when we were possessing," said UC San Diego head coach Kristin Jones '04 on the team's adjustments after the game's tough start. "That helped us maintain for longer periods. When we're on the ball, we're at our best and I asked the players to be brave in possession and work harder off the ball for each other, and they did that."
 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego resumes Big West action next Thursday when the Tritons visit Hawai'i for a 7 p.m. HST kick (10 p.m. PDT) from Honolulu. The match will be broadcast on Spectrum Sports Hawai'i (ESPN+ on the mainland) 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.