Late Winner Moves UCSD Women to 2-0
LA JOLLA, Calif. - True freshman Mary Reilly's (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS) first collegiate goal at 87:24 sent UC San Diego to a 1-0 victory over Point Loma in a key non-conference match at Triton Soccer Stadium on Saturday night.
Reilly was the fortuitous recipient of a loose ball that came across the penalty area from right to left, and put her right-footed shot away into the right corner of the goal. One of just four UCSD shots on the night, it was all that the Tritons needed.
The play actually began with sophomore midfielder Taylor Ramos (San Diego/Coronado HS), who sent a pass on the ground out to teammate Summer Bales on the left wing. The freshman in turn one-timed a left-footed cross that squirted through some traffic and wound up around the penalty spot, where sophomore Elisa Martinez (El Cajon/Univ. of Sioux Falls/Francis Parker School) had her left-footed shot bound off the body of Point Loma's Tara Kracy and into the path of Reilly. Martinez was credited with the assist, UCSD's first of the new season.
UCSD moves to a perfect 2-0 following a second straight dramatic home win to begin the 2015 campaign. The Tritons had rallied from a 1-0 deficit on Thursday night to top Concordia in overtime, 2-1. Point Loma, the defending Pacific West Conference (PacWest) champion and preseason coaches' favorite to repeat, fell to an even 1-1.
It was just the second true meeting between the area foes, with the other all the way back on Oct. 28, 2000, UCSD's first year as a member of the NCAA Division II following its move up from Division III. The Tritons also won 1-0 at home that day. They were up by that same score last Sept. 16 in Point Loma when play was stopped in the 57th minute due to lightning. The match went down as a no contest.
UCSD suffered a couple of scares in the second half. The first came with under 11 minutes to go through a Dottie Rhoten free kick from distance, facing the Triton goal head on. Goalie Kelcie Brodsky stepped up to punch away, only for the ball to ultimately rebound back toward her net, where it was narrowly cleared away. A peculiar sequence followed in the 85th, when the action was believed to have been stopped, only to continue, with Brodsky smothering a point-blank shot.
Brodsky came up with four saves in all for the Tritons, and registered the first shutout of her senior season and milestone 20th of her college career. Counterpart Ariel Oriarte had just a single stop for Point Loma, which out-shot UCSD, 9-4.
Brie Diaz, a sophomore transfer from UC Riverside, drew her first start as a Triton in central midfield.
UCSD hits the road for the first time in the coming week, playing at another pair of tough PacWest foes in Azusa Pacific on Thursday, Sept. 10, and California Baptist on Saturday, Sept. 12.
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