LA JOLLA, Calif. — UC San Diego men's soccer is back at home and set for a three-match homestand over the next two weeks. The stretch begins with nonconference matches against UC Irvine this Sunday, Sept. 20, and Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
 
Sunday's match with UC Irvine is presented by University Credit Union. Free hats will be given out to the first 150 fans in attendance.
 
Both matches will be broadcast on ESPN+ from Triton Soccer Stadium. Tickets are available through Triton Box Office. Fans should also note that parking permits are required seven days a week on the UC San Diego campus.
 
DETAILS
Match 7
UC San Diego vs UC Irvine
Sunday, Sept. 20 | 7:00 p.m.
Triton Soccer Stadium | La Jolla, Calif.
Series Record: UC San Diego leads 9-7-4
Watch | Live Stats
 
Match 8
UC San Diego vs Cal State Fullerton
Wednesday, Sept. 23 | 7:00 p.m.
Triton Soccer Stadium | La Jolla, Calif.
Series Record: Tied 3-3-0
Watch | Live Stats
 
ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
Overall: 5-1-0
Pac-12: 0-0-0
Home: 2-0-0
Away: 3-1-0
vs Ranked Opponents: 0-0-0
Streak: W1
 
TRITONS, STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Stat	UCSD	Opp.
Goals	12	1
Goals/Game	2.00	0.17
Assists	10	1
Shots	84	47
Shots/Game	14.0	7.8
Shots on Goal	46	17
Corner Kicks	44	17
Saves	16	34
YC-RC	14-0	14-0
Fouls	61	62
PK Attempts (Goals)	0 (0)	0 (0)

 
ABOUT THE UC IRVINE ANTEATERS
Overall: 3-3-1
Big West: 0-0-0
Home: 1-3-1
Away: 2-0-0
vs Ranked Opponents: 0-1-1
Streak: W1
 
ABOUT THE CAL STATE FULLERTON TITANS
Overall: 0-3-3
Big West: 0-0-0
Home: 0-1-2
Away: 0-2-1
vs Ranked Opponents: 0-1-0
Streak: T1
 
LAST TIME VS UC IRVINE (Oct. 1, 2025) | Box Score
The two teams tied 1-1 in Irvine during last season's Big West matchup. The Anteaters scored right before half time, with the Tritons equalizing in the 59th minute. UC San Diego's goal came on an Anteater own goal after a shot from Ryan Namdar.
 
LAST TIME VS CAL STATE FULLERTON (Nov. 1, 2025) | Box Score
The Tritons won last year's Big West contest in La Jolla 1-0. That match was the regular season finale, with senior Brian Arens scoring the game-winning goal in the 87th minute of his Senior Night. The Tritons needed all three points to qualify for the 2025 Big West Championship.
 
LAST TIME OUT
UNLV handed the Tritons their first loss of the season last Thursday in Las Vegas, 1-0. UC San Diego then bounced back with another shutout win, beating Utah Tech 2-0 in another road contest. Keenai Braun and Ryan Namdar scored the goals for the Tritons.
 
STACKING DONUTS
The Tritons' have five clean sheets this year, one in every win. That ties their Division I program record for must shutouts in a season (2022).
 
Goalkeeper Nic Thiele is tied for third in the country with four shutouts. He only played the first 77 minutes in the season opener against Navy, making him ineligible for a fifth complete shutout. The Midshipmen did not record a shot on goal after Thiele subbed out.
 
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
UC San Diego is alone at the top of the NCAA for fewest goals allowed this season. The Tritons' one goal conceded in six matches gives them a .167 goals against average.
 
CONTINUITY
Head coach Jon Pascale has only made two starting lineup changes this season. Freshman Owen Helm earned his first collegiate start at Air Force on Aug. 30 in place of an injured Nate Morgan, who returned to start the next match. Sophomore Matias Mott earned his first collegiate start at Utah Tech last Sunday in place of an injured Lalo Barbieri.
 
RINSE AND REPEAT
All four Pac-12 Defensive Players of the Week so far this season have been Tritons, with Keenai Braun the latest winner on Tuesday. Braun's game-winning goal at Utah Tech, coupled with the team's clean sheet in that win, helped him earn the award for the first time this season. In 180 minutes on the road last week, the Triton defense conceded only five shots on target and one goal.
 
UC San Diego has six Pac-12 Player of the Week awards in 2026. In addition to the four Defensive Players of the Week, the Tritons have one Offensive Player of the Week and one Newcomer of the Week.
 
2026 WEEKLY HONORS
M Oren Stuppel, UCU Athlete of the Week (Aug. 24)
D Gavin Carlson, Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week (Aug. 25)
M Oren Stuppel, Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week (Aug. 25)
GK Nic Thiele, Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 1)
D Gavin Carlson, Pac-12 Newcomer and Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 9)
D Keenai Braun, UCU Athlete of the Week (Sept. 14)
D Keenai Braun, Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 15)
 
TRITON BOX OFFICE
2026 marks the first time that UC San Diego is selling tickets to home soccer matches. Single-match and season tickets are available in advance online.
 
Single-match tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for youth, seniors and UC San Diego faculty/staff. Current UC San Diego students with valid ID continue to receive free admission to all home athletic events.
 
UC SAN DIEGO AND THE PAC-12
UC San Diego Athletics is in its final season as members of The Big West. The department, including men's soccer, will move to the West Coast Conference in the summer of 2027.
 
Four Big West men's soccer programs, including UC San Diego, are competing in the Pac-12 this season as affiliate members. The Tritons join California Baptist, Cal Poly and UC Riverside and three full-time Pac-12 members (Gonzaga, Oregon State, San Diego State) to form the seven-team Pac-12.
 
The top four teams at the end of the regular season will qualify for the Pac-12 Championship. Semifinals will be November 7, followed by the final on Nov. 13 or 14. The higher seed in each contest will host.
 
PAC-12 PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
1. Oregon State
2. California Baptist
3. San Diego State
4. Cal Poly
5. Gonzaga
6. UC Riverside
7. UC San Diego
 
PAC-12 PRESEASON IMPACT LIST
Each Pac-12 program named three players to the conference's Preseason Impact List. Each coach spotlighted scholar-athletes that are expected to be key contributors and difference-makers throughout the 2026 season. UC San Diego's selections are Adam Dunbar, Sean McTague and Sean Ueda.
 
Dunbar is a sophomore from Long Beach, California. The forward played in 12 matches, starting five, at an average of 49 minutes per match last season as a true freshman. Dunbar was the Tritons' leading goal-scorer in 2025, notching three goals and an assist. At the end of the season, he was named to the Big West All-Freshman Team by the conference's head coaches.
 
McTague is a graduate transfer from Mission Viejo, California, who spent the previous four years at Cal Poly. The forward appeared in all but three matches across 2022, 2023 and 2025 for the Mustangs, missing 2024 due to injury. McTague has seven goals and three assists to his name across his collegiate career. He was on the Big West All-Freshman Team in 2022 and the All-Big West Second Team in 2025.
 
Ueda is a sophomore from Santa Clara, California. The midfielder played in 17 of UC San Diego's 18 matches in 2025, starting nine at an average of 52 minutes per match as a true freshman. Ueda scored one goal last season, helping the Tritons to a draw at UC Riverside. This season he steps into a larger role in central midfield following the graduation of Adam Hillis.
 
ON THE PITCH AND IN THE CLASSROOM
Four Tritons were named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team at the end of the 2025 season. Two—Keenai Braun and Nate Morgan—return in 2026.
 
MEET THE NEWCOMERS
Exactly half of the team's 28 scholar-athletes return from last year. The Tritons welcome in nine freshmen and five transfers.
 
Six of the nine freshmen are from California: Owen Helm, Richard Hoang, Cael McElderry, Matteo Saffer, Kelham Wolf and Liam Zubak. The rest are from Massachusetts (Tito Nichols), Minnesota (Gavin Carlson) and Brazil (Lalo Barbieri).
 
The Tritons have two junior college transfers in Luc Narido (De Anza College) and Vik Singh (Clovis College) to go along with three Division I transfers in Sean McTague (Cal Poly), Matias Mott (Wisconsin) and Oren Stuppel (Cal Poly).
 
FORMER TEAMMATES
Sean McTague and Oren Stuppel were teammates together at Cal Poly from 20222-25. They were joined by Liam Murdin on the 2024 team.
 
McTague graduated from JSerra Catholic High School in 2022, where he was teammates with Keenai Braun (Class of 2023). Gavin Allegaert is also a JSerra alum, graduating in 2025.
 
LEADING THE WAY
UC San Diego's three captains are all seniors and returning starters. Nic Thiele is the Tritons' goalkeeper, and he is joined by defenders Keenai Braun and Nate Morgan.
 
HEAD COACH JON PASCALE
Now in his 19th season at the helm of UC San Diego men's soccer, Jon Pascale has an all-time record of 153-109-57 (.569) with the Tritons at the start of 2026. Pascale is a three-time California Collegiate Athletic Association Coach of the Year and led the Tritons to four Division II NCAA Championship berths from 2013 to 2019. His record in Division II was 130-61-40 (.649).
 
PRESEASON RESULTS
UC San Diego was undefeated in three preseason exhibition matches. The Tritons had two draws with ranked opponents (0-0 vs No. 18 San Diego, 1-1 vs No. 21 Grand Canyon) sandwiched around a 4-1 victory over Arizona Western. All three contests were at home.
 
UC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Most UC San Diego home men's and women's basketball games, men's and women's soccer matches, men's and women's volleyball matches, baseball and softball games are broadcast live on ESPN+. For more information on where to watch UC San Diego soccer, visit UCSDTritons.com/live.
 
WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.
 
TRITON SOCCER TALK
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast, Tritoncast. New episodes of Tritoncast are available on the most popular podcasting apps and on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on X @Tritoncast.
 
GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO SOCCER
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through X, Facebook and Instagram. The team's handle is @ucsdmsoc.

FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!

GEAR
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, click here.
 
UP NEXT
The homestand concludes with UC San Diego's Pac-12 opener on Wednesday, Sept. 30, against Cal Poly. That match also begins at 7:00 p.m. 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.