SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Two first half goals were enough for Sacramento State to hold on and beat UC San Diego men's soccer 2-1 on Saturday afternoon in Sacramento. The Tritons registered 19 shots in the match, including 15 in the second half, but were unable to find an equalizer.
 
Adam Dunbar scored the Tritons' goal in the 71st minute. The freshman now has three goals on the year.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Both of Sacramento State's goals came off corner kicks. The first was scored in the 14th minute on a shot that found the top corner off the net directly from the corner.
 
The second goal came when the corner was played short to a player at the corner of the box. His long-range effort made its way to the back of the net in the 37th minute.
 
In addition to taking the 2-0 lead into halftime, Sacramento State had an 8-4 shot advantage and a 3-1 edge in shots on target. The Hornets took five first half corner kicks, with the Tritons earning three.
 
The balance of the match flipped in the second half as the Tritons dominated possession and had a majority of the opportunities. The visitors totaled four shots on goal after the break as part of their 15 total second half shots.
 
The Tritons' pressure finally paid off with 20 minutes to play. James Redington and Brian Arens worked a nice give-and-go down the right side, with a cross by Arens finding Dunbar in the middle of the box. Dunbar had two initial shots blocked by Hornet defenders, but he collected the loose ball each time and ultimately broke through on his third shot attempt.
 
Sacramento State registered their final shot of the match shortly after with an off-target attempt in the 73rd minute. The Tritons pushed for an equalizer, taking five shots after Dunbar's goal. One was on target as Ian Mai forced the Hornet goalkeeper into a save in the 89th minute, but that stop was enough to preserve the 2-1 win for Sacramento State.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Dunbar is now alone at the top as UC San Diego's leading scorer this season.
• Centerback and team captain Evan Wellerstein had his streak of 50-straight starts broken on Saturday after sustaining an injury in Wednesday's match with Cal State Bakersfield.
• Senior midfielder Adam Hillis wore the captain's armband in place of Wellerstein.
• Freshman Mai took Wellerstein's place in the starting lineup, playing a full 90 minutes for the first time in his career.

QUOTABLE
"We are extremely disappointed in the result," head coach Jon Pascale said. "I credit Sacramento State with a great start to the game. I thought the guys responded well to the challenge of being 0-2 down at halftime. We threw a lot of them in the second half but could not quite execute well enough in the final third."

UP NEXT
The Tritons close the regular season at home next Saturday, Nov. 1. The match with Cal State Fullerton begins at 7:00 p.m. and will also be Senior Night. Admission to Triton Soccer Stadium is free, with the match broadcast on ESPN+.
 
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 in NCAA Division I. The 24-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 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 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 NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.