DURHAM, N.C. — UC San Diego men's soccer hung with No. 15 Duke on the road Sunday night but ultimately lost 1-0 to the Blue Devils.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The hosts scored the game's lone goal in the sixth minute off a recycled corner kick. Duke maintained the pressure throughout the first half with 11 shots, while the Tritons only managed two.
 
In the second half, Triton goalkeeper Nolan Premack kept the score at 1-0 in the 50th minute with a penalty kick save. The graduate senior finished the match with four saves.
 
UC San Diego's offensive efforts picked up from there as the Tritons registered five second-half shots, including on-target efforts from Evan Wellerstein and Cole Barrett.
 
The Tritons would finish the match with 10 men after a red card was issued to Masa Fujita in the 88th minute.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Duke's penalty was the seventh faced by Triton goalkeepers and the second to be saved since the team's first Division I season in 2021.
• Triton midfielder Bryce Barnum spent two seasons at Duke, appearing in two games as a freshman in 2022 before redshirting in 2023. He started and played 65 minutes for the Tritons on Sunday.
• Duke is now 2-0-0 all-time versus UC San Diego, having bested the Tritons 3-2 in La Jolla last season.

QUOTABLE
"We are disappointed with the result, but I am proud of the effort the guys put into the match," head coach Jon Pascale said. "If we are able to bring that level of intensity to each match, we will win a lot of games. We are excited to get back to work preparing for another talented opponent in Cal."

UP NEXT
The Tritons will visit Cal next Sunday, August 31, for the final match of their three-match road trip. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.
 
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.