LA JOLLA, Calif. — Tuesday night's exhibition men's soccer match at Triton Soccer Stadium was all UC San Diego as the hosts defeated Arizona Western 4-1.
 
Gavin Allegaert scored a brace for the Tritons, with Sean McTague and Jack Nishimoto also getting on the scoresheet.
 
Nic Thiele started the match in goal for the Tritons, registering a first half clean sheet. Luc Narido took over at the start of the second half and played the first 22 minutes before being replaced by Vik Singh for the rest of the contest. Neither goalie recorded a save.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
McTague opened the scoring in the 9th minute. A through ball found him open down the right side, with his initial effort saved. McTague was then first to the ensuing rebound, making for a comfortable finish.

The Tritons kept the pressure on after the opener, finishing the half with 61% possession. But the hosts only managed one shot on goal for over 25 minutes after the first goal. That changed in the 36th minute when the Tritons went direct off a restart, with a long ball from Gavin Carlson finding Nishimoto behind the defense. He beat the goalkeeper with a far-post shot to make the score 2-0.
 
UC San Diego made it 3-0 with just 27 seconds left before halftime. Carlson was pushed in the back while jumping for a header on a corner kick, resulting in a Triton penalty. Allegaert stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to convert the spot kick.
 
The Tritons had a 10-5 advantage in shots and a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks at the break. They also held a 5-1 edge in shots on target. Thiele's lone save of the half came in the 35th minute with a strong parry at his near post.
 
Allegaert got his second goal in the 71st minute. His run centrally was rewarded by Tyler Cash, who got the assist on Allegaert's low finish.
 
Arizona Western's goal came in the 77th minute after Singh came out on a through ball and inadvertently handled the ball outside of the box. The Matadors converted with a goal direct from the ensuing free kick to bring the match to 4-1.
 
UC San Diego had an 8-1 advantage in second half shots. Cash and Ryan Namdar both forced the Matador goalkeeper into saves.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• The Tritons had three true freshmen in the starting lineup: Lalo Barbieri, Cael McElderry and Liam Zubak.
• Head coach Jon Pascale made five changes to his starting lineup from the Tritons' first exhibition last Saturday. Six players have started both exhibitions: Keenai Braun, Woody Brown, Sean McTague, Nate Morgan, Oren Stuppel and Nic Thiele. 

UP NEXT
The Tritons have one more exhibition later this week to close out preseason. Grand Canyon visits Triton Soccer Stadium at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. $5 tickets are available through Triton Box Office.
 
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.