No. 7 UCSD Women Nipped Late by No. 6 Mines

September 11, 2016

LA JOLLA, Calif. - Sixth-ranked Colorado School of Mines got an 86th-minute goal from 30 or so yards out into the upper corner to come away with a 1-0 victory over No. 7 University of California San Diego in a top-10 women's soccer matchup Sunday at Triton Soccer Stadium.

UC San Diego's first loss dropped its record to 3-1. Colorado Mines, out of Golden, Colo., stayed perfect at 4-0. The Orediggers were a second straight Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) foe for the Tritons, with both teams preseason favorites in their respective leagues, as well as atop their respective region polls.

It seemed in the end an unjust result for the home side, which out-shot Mines on the day, 15-4, with the game-winner indeed the visitors' only shot on target. That unassisted decider came off the right foot of Kortney Descamp, her first of the season, as she found a loose ball and, facing goal, unleashed a stellar effort that looped over UCSD goalkeeper Itzel Gonzalez and connected with the net at 85:29.

It was the first goal conceded by Gonzalez and the Tritons thus far on the year, snapping a shutout streak of 355:28. Gonzalez completed the contest with no saves.

UCSD almost equalized right from the restart, getting a double-shot flurry inside the penalty area, but junior Jordyn McNutt (San Diego/University City HS) and senior Jamie Benedetto each had their efforts blocked away by defenders. McNutt led all players and in fact out-shot CSM by herself, with a career-high seven attempts.

Early in the first half, junior striker Katie O'Laughlin (Carlsbad/Pacific Ridge School) provided a dangerous right-sided cross, but senior co-captain Kiera Bocchino's back-post header went just wide to the left of the frame. After a Summer Bales corner kick in the 39th minute, junior holding central midfielder Brie Diaz had a close-range left-footed shot cleared off the line at the base of the left post by junior Oredigger right back Cari Smith.

Senior Sam Zumbro had four saves in registering the clean sheet in goal for Mines.

UC San Diego flies to the Pacific Northwest later Sunday, and will spend a majority of the final week ahead before classes start, in Seattle, Wash. The Tritons face a second straight top-10 opponent in ninth-ranked reigning West Region champion Western Washington in Bellingham in primetime on Wednesday night, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m. They then take on Central Washington in Ellensburg on Friday, Sept. 16, at 12 p.m.

Triton Notes: CSM leads the all-time series, 1-0-1, following just the second-ever meeting ... The sides previously played to a scoreless draw in a national quarterfinal in Denver, Colo., on Nov. 18, 2012, with UCSD prevailing via penalty-kick tiebreaker, 6-5, en route to finishing that season as the national runner-up ... In commemoration of the 15th anniversary of 9/11, a moment of silence was held before the national anthem at Triton Soccer Stadium ... The result meant career win No. 100 for seventh-year Mines head coach Kevin Fickes.

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