UCSD Men Play to Scoreless Draw With Otters

October 17, 2014

SEASIDE, Calif. - UC San Diego continued its stellar defensive play with a seventh shutout in its last 10 matches, but couldn’t find the offense it needed in a scoreless tie with Cal State Monterey Bay in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) men’s soccer action at the Otter Sports Complex on Friday afternoon.

The result moved UCSD to 9-3-2 overall and 4-1-2 in the CCAA. The Tritons stretched their unbeaten run to five games, now at 3-0-2 this month. Cal State Monterey Bay is 2-6-4 overall and 1-4-2 in league play. UCSD also remains an undefeated 6-0-3 in the last nine match-ups between the sides, though the Tritons had won the previous four in the series heading into Friday.

The Tritons had a pair of shots that forced Otter goalie Evan Drake into saves in the 23rd minute, by sophomores Malek Bashti and Riley Harbour, the latter a header.

The home side produced a trio of scoring opportunities of its own within 10 minutes of the second-half whistle, but Rudy Gonzales and Jovani Delacruz were wide of the target and Anthony Velazquez denied by Triton goalkeeper Cameron McElfresh.

The action in fact picked up considerably in the second half after the sides combined for just five shots over the first 45 minutes. In the 57th, UCSD got back-to-back efforts from Bashti and Harbour again, but they were wide and high, respectively.

Sophomore Gerrit van Zyll, back on the field for the first time since Sept. 20 and in the starting lineup on the right wing, had his shot saved by Drake in the 70th, as did Harbour in the 73rd. One final attempt in regulation by Harbour with just 24 ticks left on the clock buzzed high, as the match headed into overtime.

Over 20 minutes of extra soccer, neither team could manage a shot.

McElfresh finished with three saves on the day for his seventh clean sheet of 2014 and 10th of his career. Drake, also a junior, made four stops for the Otters. The final shots tally went 8-7 in favor of UCSD, with Harbour’s four attempts marking both a match and career high.

Having started the day in ninth in all of the NCAA Division II in team goals-against average, the Tritons lowered their mark to 0.55 for the season.

The physical contest saw the sides combine for 38 fouls and four yellow-card cautions, with three being shown to Monterey Bay players.

“It was a hard-fought match,” remarked Triton head coach Jon Pascale. “Both teams defended well and didn’t allow many chances. Monterey Bay is a much better team than its record indicates, and was very difficult to play against. We felt good about our effort, but needed to be a little better in the attack to get better looks at goal.”

UCSD continues this late-season four-match road segment on Sunday, Oct. 19, at SF State. Kickoff at Cox Stadium is set for 11:30 a.m.

“We are looking forward to getting back at it against another good opponent in SF State,” concluded Pascale.

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