THE SCHEDULE
Match 6
vs. California Baptist (1-2-1, 0-0 PacWest)
Thursday, Sept. 18 • 7 p.m.
Triton Soccer Stadium • La Jolla
Live Stats

Match 7
vs. Azusa Pacific (2-0, 0-0 PacWest)
Saturday, Sept. 20 • 7 p.m.
Triton Soccer Stadium • La Jolla
Live Stats

UCSD ROUNDS OUT NON-CONFERENCE PORTION OF SCHEDULE WITH HOME PAIR
The UC San Diego men's soccer team plays host to two more tough Pacific West Conference (PacWest) opponents this week to round out both a season-long four-match homestand, as well as the non-conference portion of its 2014 schedule. UCSD plays California Baptist on Thursday, Sept. 18, and Azusa Pacific on Saturday, Sept. 20. Kickoff at Triton Soccer Stadium is set for 7 p.m. each night. All regular-season matches at Triton Soccer Stadium are free to attend, and all have live stats.

The Tritons are 2-0 against the PacWest so far this season, with wins at Point Loma (9/9) and at home against Dixie State (9/11), both by the identical score of 2-1.

NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
UCSD began the 2014 campaign exactly where it left off in 2013 in terms of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) poll. The association released its preseason listing back on Aug. 7. UCSD fell out of the top 25 when the first in-season edition was revealed on Sept. 9. The Tritons got as far up as No. 6 during an exceptional 2013 run, their highest position in the national poll of the Division II era. They are currently rated seventh in the NSCAA's West Region poll.

A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
The Tritons won three games in six days last week. They first edged crosstown rival Point Loma on the road, 2-1, on Tuesday, Sept. 9. UCSD then held off Dixie State at home by that same score on Thursday night, Sept. 11. The Tritons rounded out their week with a 4-0 home romp over Cal State San Marcos on Sunday night, Sept. 14.Alessandro Canale assisted on both goals at Point Loma before achieving a first-half brace, his first in a Triton uniform, to send UCSD to the comfortable win against CSUSM. Gerrit van Zyll and Sam Palano rounded out the scoring in that one, with van Zyll's the first of his college career. Cameron McElfresh kept his first clean sheet of the year and fourth of his career with a pair of saves. Seniors Brandon Bauman and Nick Roberts each had two assists. Bauman had tallied the opener at Point Loma ahead of what proved to be the winner by freshman Eric Young. It was Young's first college goal. Zachary Lagotta scored the decider in the 75th minute against Dixie State after Kuba Waligorski provided the opener off a van Zyll corner kick for the first goal of his Triton career.

PREMIER DEFENSE
UCSD has boasted one of the top five defenses nationally in the NCAA Division II in terms of team goals-against average in each of the last two seasons. The Tritons led the country in the category in 2012 with a CCAA-record mark of 0.44, and finished fourth in 2013 at a 0.52 clip. UCSD has allowed no more than a single goal over its past 31 games going back to a 3-0 loss at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Oct. 14, 2012, and has posted 23 shutouts over its last 43. Sunday night's 4-0 result over Cal State San Marcos marked UCSD's first clean sheet of 2014. The Tritons had surrendered a goal in nine straight matches going back to late in 2013.

TRITON NOTES
The Tritons' 4-0 win over CSUSM was their most lopsided defeat and the most goals they have scored in a single game since a 5-0 triumph in the 2012 finale at Cal State Monterey Bay ... UCSD is now 11-3-1 in season openers in the Division II era following the 2-1 victory over Saint Martin's on Sept. 4 ... The Tritons have rallied from 1-0 behind to win 2-1 in each of their last two season openers ... UCSD was picked to finish fifth by league head coaches in the CCAA preseason coaches' poll, garnering one of the 12 first-place votes ... The four returning Triton starters from a year ago are senior midfielder Brandon Bauman, forward Alessandro Canale, senior left back Matthew McClure and redshirt sophomore right back Brett Sampiere (Solana Beach/Torrey Pines HS) ... Canale and Sampiere earned All-CCAA honorable mention a year ago ... Among 27 players on the 2014 roster are 15 returners and 12 newcomers ... Joining Bauman, Canale and McClure in the senior class are A.J. Beloff,Jacob Valadez and Nick Roberts ... Besides Sampiere, the only other San Diego products are freshman wingerZachary Lagotta (Cathedral Catholic HS) and junior goalkeeper Dean Meltz (Torrey Pines HS).

NEW YEAR, NEW FORMAT IN CCAA
The CCAA has made changes to its regular-season and tournament formats in men's and women's soccer for the 2014 season. The six-team, two-division alignment is no more, now with just one 12-team league table. Rather than a 16-game regular-season schedule with two matches against divisional opponents and one against out-of-division foes, each team will face one another once, for a total of 11 CCAA contests. The top six teams in the final standings advance to the CCAA Championship, up from four in prior years. The first- and second-place finishers get first-round byes, with those two games held at campus sites of the higher seeds. The venue for the 2014 CCAA Championship semifinals and final has yet to be determined.

HEAD COACH JON PASCALE
Jon Pascale, now a two-time CCAA Coach of the Year through back-to-back honors in 2012 and 2013, has posted a 62-37-19 (.606) overall record in his seventh season in charge of the UCSD men's soccer program. A 1-0 home victory over Sonoma State on Sept. 29, 2013, gave him career win No. 50, while a 2-0 triumph at Cal State Stanislaus in the very next match on Oct. 4 marked his 100th contest at the Triton helm. Pascale directed his first postseason tilt on Nov. 8 of last year in Turlock, a come-from-behind, 2-1 overtime triumph over rival Chico State in a CCAA Championship semifinal. He made his NCAA Championship debut as a head coach on Nov. 16, 2013, in La Jolla.

ABOUT THE LANCERS
California Baptist (1-2-1) posted its first win of 2014 last Saturday at UCSD's CCAA opponent, Cal State Stanislaus. The final score was 2-1. The Lancers previously suffered a pair of 2-1 overtime losses following a 2-2 double-overtime draw at home against La Verne in their season opener. The defeats came on the road at CCAA sides Cal State Dominguez Hills and Sonoma State.

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD leads the all-time series, 4-1. Most recently, the Tritons rallied to edge the Lancers in overtime, 2-1, in the 2013 season opener for both teams in Riverside. Alessandro Canale scored the 57th-minute equalizer from a free kick, and Andisheh Bagheri nabbed the winner from the penalty spot 3:57 into the first overtime period. The last time the sides met in La Jolla, CBU blanked UCSD, 2-0, in the 2012 season opener. Thursday will mark the fourth straight year in which the teams have squared off.

ABOUT THE COUGARS
Azusa Pacific (2-0) will make it four PacWest teams that the Tritons will face in the regular season when the Cougars head down from Azusa to La Jolla on Saturday. APU first plays at Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The Cougars are receiving votes just outside of the top 25 teams in the latest NSCAA national poll, and are rated fifth in the West Region.

SERIES HISTORY
The all-time series is exactly even at 10-10-1. The programs last met in Azusa in the Tritons' 2003 season opener on Sept. 3, with UCSD coming away with a 3-0 victory. They last played in La Jolla on Sept. 16, 1998, that a 5-1 APU victory.

GEAR HERE
UCSD Athletics has partnered with Advanced-Online to provide a web-based, on-demand option for UCSD apparel and merchandise. Fans have access to over 600 products that can be processed and shipped within 24 hours. Visit the site at UCSDTritonsGear.com.

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UP NEXT
UCSD opens the 11-game CCAA slate next week. The Tritons play at 24th-ranked defending CCAA champion Cal State L.A. on Friday, Sept. 26, at 4:30 p.m., before hosting Cal Poly Pomona on Sunday, Sept. 28, at 11:30 a.m. Both contests make up the first halves of doubleheaders with the UCSD women.

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