LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego defender
Talisa Lin notched her first career goal and senior
Sarah Kowack scored her first as a Triton, but it wasn't enough as visiting San Diego State (4-2-1) hung on for a 3-2 win over the Tritons at Triton Soccer Stadium on Thursday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego (1-3-2) came out applying pressure, getting two great looks on frame in the 11th minute.
Lizzy Teran fired from point blank range, but the Aztec keeper made the stop.
Courtney Hilliard corralled the rebound and sent it back in, but Alexa Madueno made another save.
In the 13th minute, the Aztecs took the lead when Kali Trevithick scored a goal on a feed from Emma Gaines-Ramos. The visitors went up two-nil in the 29th minute on a pretty left-footed strike by Trinity Coker from the top of the box that hit the crossbar and caromed in.
Each team was credited with five first half shots, and both keepers made a pair of saves.
The Aztecs had a chance to add to their lead in the 58th minute but Triton goalkeeper
Keara Fitzgerald made two dynamic saves with her left hand to keep UC San Diego in the match.
In the 72nd minute,
Alexis Nguyen drew a foul just outside the top of the 18. Triton sophomore
Talisa Lin took the free kick for UC San Diego and sent a pretty strike that went in at the top of the goal, putting the Tritons on the board.
The Aztecs added a score on a free kick in the 76th minute. UC San Diego continued to battle, and
Sarah Kowack drew the hosts to within a goal in the 86th minute.
Fitzgerald finished with seven saves.
QUOTABLE
"That's two games in a row where we haven't been as consistent throughout the game," said UC San Diego head coach
Kristin Jones '04. "At this level, you can't have lapses in concentration and for too long we didn't perform to the level we know we can. That said, I'm proud of the way we came back and fought until the end. Very rarely in soccer can you give up three goals and expect to win the game."
TRITON TIDBITS
- The goal by second year Triton Talisa Lin was the first of her career.
- Sarah Kowack's goal was her first as a Triton. She transferred to UC San Diego after her sophomore season.
- Since UC San Diego moved to Division I, the Tritons are now 0-1-1 against San Diego State. The two teams battled to a 2-2 draw atop the SDSU Sports Deck a season ago.
- UC San Diego wore its blue kits Thursday night.
- Temperature was 69 degrees at game time under clear skies.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego continues play at home on Sunday when the Tritons host LMU for a 2 p.m. kick on Youth Day. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+ with live stats on UCSDTritons.com. Admission to UC San Diego home matches is free.
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.
