LA JOLLA, Calif. — UC San Diego men's soccer scored first and went on to draw UC Davis 1-1 Saturday night in the Tritons' home Big West opener. The Tritons are undefeated after two Big West matches, tying 1-1 in both.
 
Freshman Adam Dunbar scored his first collegiate goal for UC San Diego in the 70th minute. He was assisted by Kai Oppenheim, who also registered a team-high three shots. Goalkeeper Nolan Premack recorded six saves in the match, with four coming in the second half.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first half began with the Tritons initiating the offensive action, taking seven shots with four on target. Tyler Cash had two of those shots, including one that required a UC Davis defender to clear the ball off the line in the 27th minute. The Tritons had 56% possession in the first half but were unable to convert a look into a goal as the two teams headed into the break scoreless.
 
The Tritons kept up their pressure in the second half as both sides had increasingly better looks at goal. Ryan Namdar had the team's best look to that point when he rattled a shot off the crossbar in the 63rd minute. The Tritons then seized the momentum in the 70th minute when Dunbar found the back of the net, giving the home side a 1-0 lead.

UC Davis responded 10 minutes later with Gavin House equalizing for the visitors. Despite several attempts by the Tritons to reclaim the lead, including shots from Cole Barrett and Masa Fujita that forced a double save in the 85th minute, the match ended 1-1.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• The series record between the two teams remains tied at 4-4-2.
• Sophomore Kai Oppenheim recorded the third assist of his career.
• Adam Dunbar's goal was the Tritons' first at home this season.

QUOTABLE
"I thought the team played well against a difficult opponent in UC Davis," head coach Jon Pascale said. "We created a number of great scoring chances. Credit to their goalkeeper for having a career night. Our goalkeeper made some great saves as well. I firmly believe our team is getting better every time we take the field. The collective mentality of the group is great. You can see it in the way the guys are playing for each other and feel it in the energy in the guys on the bench. We are looking forward to preparing for our next challenge on Wednesday in Riverside."

UP NEXT
The Tritons hit the road for a Big West match at UC Riverside next Wednesday, Oct. 8. The contest begins at 7:00 p.m. and will be 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.