UC San Diego

LA JOLLA, Calif. — Wednesday night's men's soccer match at Triton Soccer Stadium ended with visiting Cal State Fullerton taking home a 2-1 win over UC San Diego.
 
The Tritons (5-3-0) opened the scoring in the 38th minute with a goal from Gavin Allegaert, but the Titans (2-3-3) responded with goals in the 41st and 76th minutes to earn the win.
 
UC San Diego goalkeeper Nic Thiele made six saves. The Tritons only forced one save from Fullerton's keeper despite the ball being in the Tritons' offensive half for 61% of the match.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons had several good looks at goal in the first half. A long ball by Thiele that was flicked on by Cael McElderry found Allegaert in behind the defense in the 30th minute, but his shot missed high.
 
McElderry and Allegaert then combined again for the Tritons' goal. Fullerton played out of the back after a goal kick, with pressure from the two Tritons—along with Sean Ueda—forcing a turnover. McElderry poked the ball free to get it to Allegaert, who fired home a one-time shot with his left foot.
 
The Tritons had another good look at goal one minute later when Matias Mott made a couple of defenders miss in the box. His ensuing shot missed wide left to keep the score at 1-0.
 
Fullerton then equalized before the break. The Tritons missed on a clearance, with Fullerton first to the loose ball. The Titans took advantage of the now-exposed Triton backline to play a runner in on goal, who scored to put the score at 1-1.
 
The visitors thought they were going into the break with a 2-1 lead after a shot found the back of the net in the 44th minute. But the Triton coaching staff initiated a challenge, with the goal taken away due to a foul in the build-up.
 
A frantic second half featured 17 combined shots, six of which were on goal. Thiele made four of his saves after halftime. The end-to-end action eventually went Fullerton's way with the game-winning goal in the 76th minute. A driving run centrally set up a ball in between the lines, with one final dribbling move then enough to beat the Triton defense.
 
UC San Diego searched for an equalizer as the match progressed, registering three shots and three corner kicks after Fullerton's goal. But the Tritons were unable to get anything on target, bringing the match to its 2-1 conclusion.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Fullerton is the first team this season to have more corner kicks in a match than the Tritons, taking six to UC San Diego's five.
• Freshman Matteo Saffer made his collegiate debut, subbing on for an injured Gavin Carlson in the first half. Saffer played the final 66 minutes of the match.

UP NEXT
The Tritons start Pac-12 play next Wednesday, Sept. 30, at home against Cal Poly. Free scarves will be given out to the first 200 fans in attendance. The match will also be available on ESPN+. 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.