NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – UC San Diego took an early lead, but host CSUN scored three unanswered second half goals to earn a 3-1 Big West victory over the Tritons Sunday night on Matador Soccer Field.
The win was the first-ever in Division I for CSUN (4-9-1 overall, 2-2-1 Big West) over the Tritons (2-10-2, 0-4-1 Big West).
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego took the lead in the 16th minute when
Skylar Enge had a takeaway near midfield. Enge fed
Alexis Nguyen who raced up the right side. Nguyen had a beautiful centering feed which found a cutting
Lindsey Park. The Triton junior had a brilliant touch from the top of the box and UC San Diego had a 1-0 advantage.
The Tritons continued their pressure and played strong defensively, and UC San Diego found itself in front by a one-nil halftime score. The Matadors held a slim 5-3 shots advantage, with UC San Diego goalkeeper
Ginny Fronk making three saves.
In the second half, CSUN scored three quick goals in an eight-minute span to storm from behind and take a 3-1 lead. UC San Diego earned a pair of corner kicks over the final four minutes but the Tritons were unable to level the score.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Temperature at kick-off was 89 degrees on Matador Soccer Field.
- Triton junior Lindsey Park scored her sixth career goal Sunday night.
- UC San Diego sophomore Alexis Nguyen's assist was the sixth of her career. She's tied with teammate Allie Luo for second in the program's Division I era.
- Sophomore Ginny Fronk made her first start in net since Sept. 5 at Idaho. She matched her season-high with six saves.
- The Tritons wore their navy kits with Fronk in baby blue.
QUOTABLE
"We were inconsistent tonight, especially in the first half when we had so many chances to put some space between us," said UC San Diego head coach
Kristin Jones '04 after the match. "Honestly, that's the story of our season in a nutshell. All we can do at this point is learn from this, turn the page, and get ready for a tough test Thursday at home."
UP NEXT
The Tritons return home Thursday night to host Hawai'i in a Big West match at 7 p.m. It's Latinx Heritage Night at Triton Soccer Stadium and admission is free. The game can be seen live on ESPN+ with live statistics 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 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.
