No. 9 UCSD Women Streak Into Home Finale
THE SCHEDULE
Match 13 - Homecoming
vs. Cal State LA (6-3-2, 5-1 CCAA)
Friday, Oct. 14 • 4:30 p.m.
Triton Soccer Stadium • La Jolla
Live Video • Live Stats
Match 14 - Senior Day
vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills (7-4, 4-2 CCAA)
Sunday, Oct. 16 • 11:30 a.m.
Triton Soccer Stadium • La Jolla
Live Video • Live Stats
NINTH-RANKED UC SAN DIEGO WRAPS REGULAR-SEASON HOME SCHEDULE
The No. 9 University of California San Diego women's soccer team concludes the home portion of its California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) schedule with two games against South foes this week for Homecoming. UC San Diego (10-2, 6-0 CCAA) is atop the league table as its only remaining team with a perfect ledger. The Tritons welcome Cal State LA (6-3-2, 5-1 CCAA) on Friday, Oct. 14, at 4:30 p.m., and then Cal State Dominguez Hills (7-4, 4-2 CCAA) on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 11:30 a.m. Sunday is Senior Day, with five outstanding seniors recognized beginning at 11:20 a.m. Both contests serve as the first halves of doubleheaders with the 21st-ranked UCSD men at Triton Soccer Stadium. The Tritons are 5-1 at home in 2016. They boast the league's longest current win streak, at seven straight, with the last four in shutout fashion.
TRITON SOCCER MATCHDAY
Once again in 2016, all regular-season home matches at Triton Soccer Stadium are free to attend. Parking permits are required, however, on weeknights on the UC San Diego campus. Parking permits can be purchased at machines situated at corners of either of the nearest parking lots, behind the spectator stand, as well as the Hopkins Parking Structure adjacent to RIMAC. Parking is free on Saturday and Sunday.
TRITON SOCCER NOW ON UCSDTRITONS.TV!
For the very first time, all matches at Triton Soccer Stadium in 2016 feature a live video stream on UCSDtritons.tv. The platform, the product of a partnership between UC San Diego Athletics and local broadband services and technology giant ViaSat, is in its first full year. All broadcasts are in multi-camera high definition, and can be viewed from smartphones and tablets alongside desktop and laptop computers. UC San Diego alum and former baseball pitcher (2007-08) Tim Strombel (@Timmy2Sides) handles the play-by-play duties, and welcomes an array of guests. Viewing is subscription-based, though it is free from UCSD campus IP addresses. A package that gives viewers access to all streamed events (baseball, basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball, water polo and more) throughout the 2016-17 academic year is available for $34.99. A single-day option can be purchased for $5.99, meaning doubleheaders are two-for-one. Events are archived.
MORE LIVE COVERAGE
All games have live stats. Select road matches will also have video. Fans can access live coverage from the Schedule/Results page, or by clicking on the links above. Starting lineups, live in-game updates and other news and notes can be found by following Triton Soccer all season long on the UCSD Athletics Twitter handle (@UCSDtritons). Finally, check out the CCAA live scoreboard here to keep up on results around the league.
SENIOR DAY SUNDAY!
Five UC San Diego seniors will be recognized prior to the 11:30 a.m. kickoff this Sunday at Triton Soccer Stadium against Cal State Dominguez Hills. The ceremony is slated for an 11:20 a.m. start. This year's senior class is made up of co-captains Meghan Berry and Kiera Bocchino, alongside Jamie Benedetto, Itzel Gonzalez and Kristen Sampietro.
RANKINGS REPORT
Despite a shutout road sweep, UC San Diego managed to move down one spot, to No. 9, in Tuesday's latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll. It is still No. 2 in the West Region, behind the nation's new No. 1, Western Washington. With the first in-season release of the NSCAA poll on Sept. 6, UCSD entered at No. 7, having been left out of the preseason listing. It marked a first national rank for the Tritons since they were No. 23 on Sept. 17, 2013. UCSD's highest ranks this year have been No. 6 nationally (Sept. 13) and No. 1 in the West. The first edition of the official NCAA regional polls, which directly influence the NCAA Championship field, will be unveiled next Wednesday, Oct. 19.
A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
Oddly for the second week in a row, UC San Diego won 2-0 on Friday and 4-0 on Sunday, this time on its first true road trip of the CCAA season. Mary Reilly bagged her first two-goal brace of 2016 on Friday at SF State. Katie O'Laughlin then got the offense jump-started Sunday at Cal State Monterey Bay with an early strike from distance. The Tritons' second-half onslaught produced three more scores, by Kiera Bocchino, Makenzie Brito and Summer Bales. Brito's was the first of the junior right back's college days. Itzel Gonzalez added another two clean sheets to her haul.
AROUND THE CCAA
UCSD is the only perfect 6-0 team in the CCAA. Sunday's 4-0 rout at CSUMB moved the Tritons into sole possession of the top spot in the table, at 18 points, with three weeks left in the regular season. Cal State San Bernardino (16), Sonoma State (15) and Friday's opponent, Cal State LA (15), are nipping at their heels. CSUDH is sixth with 12 points. UCSD has two games in hand over CSUSB, which is thus idle this week. The top six teams make the CCAA Tournament field next month. Click here for the latest standings and here to follow the action via the live scoreboard.
O'LAUGHLIN BEST IN WEST
Katie O'Laughlin's 10 goals lead the CCAA and are tied for first in the West Region. She is in a seven-way tie for 11th nationally in goals, and a four-way tie for second with five game-winners. Teammate Kiera Bocchino is the league's only player even at seven goals. O'Laughlin has one of two CCAA and four West Region hat tricks. She has strung together a pair of three-game goal-scoring streaks, to begin the year (Sept. 1-9), and also from Sept. 16-25.
GOALS GALORE
UC San Diego's 35 goals as a team, still an average of nearly three per game through 12 matches, leads both the CCAA and the West Region, and ranks in a two-way tie for sixth nationally in the NCAA Division II. The next closest in the CCAA is Stanislaus State with 20. Katie O'Laughlin (10G, 3A), Mary Reilly (6G, 8A), Kiera Bocchino (7G, 2A) and Jordyn McNutt (3G, 8A) have accounted for 26 of those goals, and 21 of 35 assists. Those 35 assists also pace the West Region, and are fourth nationally.
HISTORIC OFFENSIVE RUN
UC San Diego has scored two or more goals in eight consecutive matches. The Tritons have achieved the feat just one other time in their Division II days, back in their first year there in 2000.
GONZY GREAT IN GOAL
Fifth-year senior goalkeeper Itzel Gonzalez has kept a CCAA-best eight clean sheets in this, her first year as UCSD's No. 1 between the posts, including four straight. Her 0.498 goals-against average now puts her first in the CCAA, second in the West, and 16th nationally. The current shutout streak has stretched to 385:25.
#DYNAMICDUO
Junior Katie O'Laughlin and sophomore Mary Reilly, both local products, make up arguably the best forward tandem in the West Region, if not all of the NCAA Division II. O'Laughlin has a region-best 10 goals, with three assists, while Reilly has produced six goals and eight assists. They are thus 1-2 on both the team and CCAA points charts, at 23 and 20, respectively. Reilly (11) and O'Laughlin (10) were 1-2 in the CCAA in goals in 2015. It's currently O'Laughlin on top, senior teammate Kiera Bocchino second, and Reilly tied for third.
JORDY IN FAMILIAR TERRITORY
Jordyn McNutt, who has held at least a share of the CCAA lead in assists in each of her first two years in Triton colors, is back atop the league standings in that category, in fact sharing the position with teammate Mary Reilly. The junior winger set up four of UCSD's six goals in two home wins on Sept. 30 and Oct. 2, including her first career three-assist effort in the latter contest against Humboldt State. It was in fact the first three-assist game by a Triton since Sara Bolton on Sept. 2, 2010. McNutt now has five multi-assist games for her career, including two this year. She is tied for third nationally in assists, and has 25 for her career. McNutt has one of 21 three-assist matches in Division II in 2016, and one of two in the CCAA. There has been one four-assist performance.
E BACK FROM MEXICO
Junior central midfielder Elisa Martinez (El Cajon/Francis Parker School), returned from the Mexican capital of Mexico City on Oct. 1, and was on the bench during the Oct. 2 matchup with Humboldt State, though she did not play. She left on Sept. 18 after being formally invited on Sept. 12 to participate in her second training camp with the Mexico U-20 national team. Martinez was previously involved in her first Mexican camp at any age level, also in Mexico City, July 31-Aug. 7. The training periods served as tryouts for the side which will represent Mexico at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, to be held in Papua New Guinea from Nov. 13-Dec. 3. Martinez was back on the field for UCSD at SF State on Oct. 7, and took her spot in the starting lineup two days later.
STRONG SCHEDULE
For the month of September, six of nine UCSD opponents were either nationally-ranked at the time of the match, or receiving votes just outside of the top 25. In addition, the Tritons won at two-time defending Pacific West Conference champion Point Loma, as well as at Cal State San Marcos, which was the CCAA's last remaining unbeaten when UCSD posted a 4-0 victory on Sept. 21.
O'LAUGHLIN A STAR OF THE MONTH
Katie O'Laughlin was named on Oct. 5 among September's San Diego Hall of Champions (SDHOC) Stars of the Month. She scored eight goals over UCSD's nine matches during the month, including four game-winners, as the Tritons went 7-2. O'Laughlin is a first-time honoree. Strike partner Mary Reilly was an award winner for November of 2015.
REILLY REELS IN FIRST CCAA WEEKLY NOD
Sophomore starlet Mary Reilly was named on Sept. 27 as the CCAA Player of the Week for the week of Sept. 19-25. It was the first such honor for the Chula Vista product's (Hilltop HS) career, coming after a stalwart performance against Chico State on Sept. 25 that saw her assist on UCSD's first two goals before scoring an exquisite 87th-minute clincher in the 3-1 victory.
HAT TRICK HERO O'LAUGHLIN EARNS FIRST WEEKLY AWARD
On Sept. 6, Katie O'Laughlin was named the season's first CCAA Player of the Week, thanks to her hat trick against APU. The junior Carlsbad product needed a mere 27 seconds to score her first of 2016, before doubling the advantage at 14:05 through a corner-kick header, and then completing her hat trick late on a breakaway. O'Laughlin is a two-time CCAA Player of the Week.
FIRST-WEEK SUPERLATIVES
UCSD's 5-0 rout of Azusa Pacific marked the first time the Tritons tallied five goals in a single game since a 5-1 home win over Cal State East Bay on Oct. 12, 2014. It was their most lopsided defeat since a 6-1 margin at home in the 2012 opener on Sept. 1 against Central Washington. The result is also believed to be UCSD's heftiest victory over a ranked opponent in at least it's Division II history. With the Sept. 6 win at Point Loma, the Tritons are a perfect 3-0 against their crosstown rivals, with no goals conceded over 270 minutes.
TRITON NOTES
UC San Diego has two 5-0 wins and three 4-0 victories thus far in 2016 ... The Tritons are 9-8 in CCAA openers after a 4-0 win at CSUSM on Sept. 21 ended a run of two straight defeats ... UCSD is 15-1-1 in season openers in its NCAA Division II era, since 2000, following the 5-0 rout of then-12th-ranked Azusa Pacific on Sept. 1 ... UCSD is favored to win the 2016 CCAA regular-season title, grabbing six of 13 first-place votes in the preseason poll.
2016 SEASON OUTLOOK
Brian McManus, in his 30th season in charge, has had to replace just one starter in goalkeeper Kelcie Brodsky. The rest of a strong, veteran lineup is back, led by four All-CCAA First Team selections and area products in senior center back Meghan Berry (Mt. Carmel HS), junior winger Jordyn McNutt (University City HS), and the prolific strike tandem of junior Katie O'Laughlin (Pacific Ridge School) and sophomore Mary Reilly (Hilltop HS).
Reilly, the CCAA Freshman of the Year, and O'Laughlin, were statistically the league's top scoring duo, finishing 1-2 in goals scored at 11 and 10, respectively. Reilly in fact paced the conference in most offensive categories, including points (28), game-winners (tied-four), shots (80) and shots on goal (52). McNutt provided a CCAA- and career-best 10 assists, while Berry was a revelation anchoring the back line after moving from central midfield during the 2015 preseason camp.
Senior Itzel Gonzalez has taken over in goal. She and winger Kiera Bocchino are the program's longest-standing members, both in their fifth year. Jamie Benedetto, like Berry, Bocchino, McNutt and Reilly, started all 22 matches in 2015. Kristen Sampietro (18), Brie Diaz (13), Aimee Ellis (13) and Taylor Ramos (10) all drew double-digit starts. Elisa Martinez earned her way into McManus' lineup in central midfield for each of the final nine games, and fellow junior Makenzie Brito the last seven at right back. Benedetto and Bocchino were All-CCAA Second Team picks, with Diaz garnering honorable mention in her first year on campus after a transfer from UC Riverside.
2015 REWIND
The Tritons went 15-6-1 overall and 7-4-1 in the CCAA a year ago. They surged down the stretch for the second year in succession, winning each of their last six regular-season contests after going 5-0-1 over that same period in 2014. Picked seventh in the 2015 preseason, UCSD was seeded fourth in the CCAA Tournament before rolling to a record ninth banner. UCSD has only missed that event once, in 2013, since joining the league for the 2000 season.
ROSTER NOTES
UCSD's 30-player 2016 roster has five seniors in fifth-year team members Kiera Bocchino and Itzel Gonzalez, alongside Jamie Benedetto, Meghan Berry and Kristen Sampietro ... Berry and Bocchino are second-year co-captains ... Twelve newcomers have joined the program, including 10 true freshmen ... Ten Tritons have San Diego ties, in Megumi Barber (San Diego/Mt. Carmel HS), Meghan Berry (Austin, Texas/San Diego Miramar College/Mt. Carmel HS), Sydney Davey (La Jolla/La Jolla HS), Maxia Espino (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS), Elisa Martinez (El Cajon/Univ. of Sioux Falls/Francis Parker School), Jordyn McNutt (San Diego/University City HS), Katie O'Laughlin(Carlsbad/Pacific Ridge School), Taylor Ramos (San Diego/Coronado HS), Mary Reilly (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS) and Natalie Saddic (San Diego/UC Davis/Torrey Pines HS) ... Kristin Jones, a two-time national champion and All-American as one of the greatest players to ever come through the storied UCSD program, is in her second year as associate head coach and her 17th straight as a Triton, having joined Brian McManus' staff immediately upon exhausting her eligibility.
CCAA FORMAT UNCHANGED
For the third year in a row, the CCAA slate consists of a single round robin, with all teams facing off once against each other for 12 matches total, and the top six sides (based on most points; three for a league win, one for a tie) in the final regular-season standings qualifying for the 2016 CCAA Tournament. Cal State San Marcos, a new addition in 2015, is ineligible again this time around. First-round matchups will take place on the campuses of the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The semifinals and final will be hosted by Stanislaus State for the sixth time in the last eight years, at Warrior Stadium in Turlock, Nov. 4-6.
HEAD COACH BRIAN McMANUS
Brian McManus is in his milestone 30th season in charge of the UC San Diego women's soccer program. With a career record of 475-87-51, he has achieved the most wins in NCAA Division II women's soccer history, and tied for fourth-most for all divisions. McManus' career winning percentage of .816 heading into 2016 ranked among the top 10 in college women's soccer annals, both overall (No. 10) and Division II only (No. 4). He was also third in win percentage among active Division II coaches. McManus has directed UCSD to seven national titles and a record nine CCAA banners, with the Tritons advancing to the national semifinals a remarkable 15 times in his 29 years. Under his guidance, UCSD has qualified for the NCAA Championship all 13 seasons during the Division III days, and all but three (2004, 2013-14) of 16 years since the move up to Division II. McManus' Tritons have missed the CCAA Tournament just once in 2013, having earned 13 straight berths after joining the conference.
ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Cal State LA (6-3-2, 5-1 CCAA) won five straight games without conceding a single goal to begin league play, all at home, until a 2-1 loss in its most recent time out at Chico State last Friday. The Golden Eagles have scored just 13 goals, with no more than two in any one match, but they've found the net in six straight contests. Redshirt sophomore Adriana Maldonado (0.87 GAA, 58 saves) is the starting goalkeeper. Cal State LA is 0-3 on the road in 2016. Former USC great Isabelle Harvey is in her fourth season at the helm. CSULA swept the CCAA regular-season and tournament titles in 2014.
SERIES HISTORY
UCSD leads the all-time series, 17-11-2. The rivals faced off twice last season. In non-conference play in La Jolla on Sept. 14, the Tritons edged then-14th-ranked CSULA, 2-1, as Megumi Barber notched her first career goal at 75:08 after scores by Mary Reilly and Danielle Telles had cancelled each other out over the first nine minutes. A Telles penalty kick in the 74th minute was the lone goal in Los Angeles on Oct. 4. The teams played each other both in non-conference and conference action in 2014 as well. CSULA won 1-0 at home in CCAA play, just four days after a 1-1 stalemate in La Jolla. The Tritons had taken three straight over the Golden Eagles prior to their 2013 season finale, when they dropped a difficult 1-0 decision at home, Andrea Lammers scoring with just 42 seconds left in double overtime. UCSD needed to win that contest in order to qualify for a 14th straight CCAA Tournament. The Tritons won the first meeting in 2013, 3-1 in Los Angeles on Sept. 15, overturning a 1-0 halftime deficit through an Izzy Pozurama equalizer and two Cassie Callahan goals. CSULA has taken three straight league matchups since, all by a narrow 1-0 scoreline.
ABOUT THE TOROS
Cal State Dominguez Hills (7-4, 4-2 CCAA) was off to a perfect 4-0 start to the league season, all at home, prior to getting swept last week at Cal State LA (1-0) and Chico State (2-1). The Toros have manufactured just six goals in their last eight games since a perfect 3-0 trip to Hawaii in which they outscored opponents, 7-0. Just like UCSD, however, CSUDH has surrendered only six goals. The Toros first play at Cal State San Marcos on Friday afternoon at 12:30 p.m., before coming down to La Jolla. Aileen Nasypany is in her third season in charge.
SERIES HISTORY
UCSD leads the all-time series, 25-17-5, and has won three straight, by an aggregate score of 11-4. Last Oct. 2 in Carson, Mary Reilly hit for all four goals in a 4-2 triumph. In 2014, the Tritons first earned another 4-2 decision in Carson in non-conference action on Sept. 19 behind four different goal-scorers. Kiera Bocchino, who capped the scoring in that one, then hit a brace in a 3-0 rout in La Jolla on Senior Day on Oct. 30. The teams split two matchups in 2013, with each winning on the road. The lone goal in a 1-0 Triton victory in Carson on Sept. 13 came from a 61st-minute Cassie Callahan penalty kick. The Toros won 2-0 in La Jolla on Oct. 18. UCSD was unbeaten over its previous nine (6-0-3) against the Toros since a 2-1 overtime loss in La Jolla in the 2009 regular-season finale.
TRITONS IN THE MEDIA
A selection of features on the UC San Diego women's soccer program from this season:
• O'Laughlin in San Diego Union-Tribune (10/4/16)
• Tritons in HERO Sports News (10/4/16)
• McManus in GoalNation (8/12/16)
• McManus in HERO Sports News (7/30/16)
GEAR UP
For the latest in Triton athletic gear, make sure to visit ucsdtritonsgear.com. Run by UCSD Athletics' online partner Advanced-Online, the site provides an on-demand option for Triton Athletic apparel and merchandise. Fans have access to over 600 products that can be processed and shipped within 24 hours.
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 UCSD home athletic events, and much more!
SOCIAL MEDIA (#AllForOne)
UCSD Athletics on Facebook (UCSDtritons)
UCSD Athletics on Instagram (@UCSDtritons)
UCSD Athletics on Twitter (@UCSDtritons)
UCSD Athletics on YouTube (UCSDathletics)
UP NEXT
The Tritons head to Northern California for the second time next week. They will first face a rematch of last year's CCAA Tournament final with Stanislaus State, on Friday, Oct. 21, in primetime in Turlock at 7 p.m. UCSD is at Cal State East Bay on Sunday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m.
#AllForOne
Trending Videos
Headlines
- Recruiting Roundup: November 25-December 1
- Tracking Division I Coaching Changes
- Quarterfinals Set in Women's DI Tourney
- ECNL Girls Pac NW Players to Watch
- Goals Galore in Men's DI Second Round
- Women's DI Tournament Second Round Recap
- Vanderbilt Shocks No. 1 Florida State
- Men's NCAA Tournament Round Two Preview
- TeamRank Presented By TeamSnap - Boys
- Men's NCAA Tournament First Round Recap