LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego men's soccer stunned conference favorite UC Santa Barbara in a 3-0 shutout on Wednesday night at Triton Soccer Stadium.
The Tritons move to 2-6-2 overall and 1-0 in Big West while the Gauchos move to 5-5 overall and 0-1 in Big West play as well.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Striking first, the Tritons put the pressure on early in the first 45 with two shots on target by
Max Carvalho in the 15th and 20th minute. In the following minute, on a rebound,
Alan Kim made a no-look pass to
Iñaki Iribarren, who chipped in the shot to send the Tritons ahead.
A few minutes later, Kim kept the pressure on as he weaved through three defenders to split two of them and fake the goalie to net the shot high in the back corner for his first collegiate goal in the 24th minute.
After the first half, the Tritons were two shots behind UCSB with five shots on goal for UC San Diego.
Mitchell Wilson made two saves for the Tritons in the first 45.
Adding insurance for the gold and blue,
Alessandro Allen and
Andrew Valverde worked the Gaucho defenders to pull them into the far-left corner before crossing it in to
Max Carvalho to bury it.
UC Santa Barbara led both teams with a 13 to 8 shot differential, however seven of the Tritons' shots were on goal. While Wilson recorded three saves, UC San Diego's defensive line of
Evan Wellerstein,
Adam Walker,
Carter Jacobus,
Asa Gibson,
James Redington,
Sean McDonnell, and
Matthew Lin held the Gauchos to three shots on goal.
QUOTABLE
TRITON TIDBITS
- Iñaki Iribarren scored the first Triton goal on a no look pass from Alan Kim in the 21st minute. This is Iribarren's seventh goal of the season and he continues to lead the conference in goals scored.
- Alan Kim scored the Triton's second goal in the 24th minute after splitting three defenders for his first collegiate goal.
- On a double assist from Alessandro Allen and Andrew Valverde, Max Carvalho netted the third goal for the gold and blue for his second goal of the season.
- Tonight was Mitchell Wilson's first clean sheet of the season.
- UC Santa Barbara continues to lead the all-time vs. series 2-1
UP NEXT
Traveling north to Sacramento State, the Tritons will continue the opening week of conference play against the Hornets at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sep. 30. The game will be live on ESPN+ with live stats available 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 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.
