No. 11 UCSD Women No Match for 'Cats, 3-1
LA JOLLA, Calif. - Sophomore starlet Mary Reilly (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS) assisted on the first two and provided the late clincher as the No. 11 University of California San Diego women's soccer team got past Chico State, 3-1, in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) match at Triton Soccer Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
With a third straight victory following a brief two-game slide, UC San Diego improved to 6-2 overall and 2-0 in the CCAA. Chico State, which started off the season an unbeaten 4-0-1 prior to now four straight losses to open the conference slate, all on the road, fell to 4-4-1 overall and 0-4 in league play.
UCSD was thoroughly dominant for the duration, out-shooting Chico State 27-5 when all was said and done. That included an 11-2 ledger over the first 45 minutes, but no goals came. The final tally of 27 was a season high.
After the break, the Tritons finally broke through. In the 51st minute, Reilly went dribbling down the right flank and provided an inch-perfect cross that junior strike partner Katie O'Laughlin (Carlsbad/Pacific Ridge School) blasted high into the net for her league-best eighth goal already over eight contests.
Just over six minutes later, it was Reilly again weaving through Wildcat defenders before this time producing a left-sided cross from around the end line, that junior winger Jordyn McNutt (San Diego/University City HS) headed home at the far post from close range. It was McNutt's second of 2016.
Chico State, to its credit, pulled one back in the 65th minute to make for a slightly nervous final segment, as Carlie Reader crossed from the left and Lindsey Dias turned the ball home from in close for her second of the year.
It was Reilly to the rescue, however, at the 86:35 mark. Roles were reversed as O'Laughlin turned provider. Reilly put the hapless defense on her tail once more, before directing a right-footed shot from the right diagonal, into the left side. The 2015 CCAA Freshman of the Year and leading scorer now has four goals and a team-best five assists.
All three Triton goals were scored and assisted on by San Diego products in McNutt, O'Laughlin and Reilly.
Senior Itzel Gonzalez had one save in goal for UCSD. Caylin Stanley, a last-minute replacement for Caitlyn Duval, who suffered an unfortunate injury in pregame warmups, came up with seven saves in her college debut.
The Tritons found the woodwork a total of three times on the afternoon, including twice during that frustrating first half. McNutt's shot in the 16th appeared to contact exactly where the right post meets the crossbar. Reilly's header from a right-sided cross in the 27th then hit the top of the bar and went over. Reilly's wicked right-footed effort in the 84th clanged off the bar and served as proper warning for her goal just moments later. On the day, she was difficult for the Wildcats to deal with.
Aside from those near misses, just 10 minutes in, junior right back Makenzie Brito's cross from the right was headed by senior co-captain Kiera Bocchino at the back post, but Stanley was expertly able to just get a diving hand to it. Prior to the opener early in the second period, UCSD's other senior co-captain, center back Meghan Berry (Mt. Carmel HS), played a great ball over the top toward Bocchino. The fifth-year Triton was unable to corral it, however, before it reached Stanley's clutches.
UC San Diego remains at home next weekend, hosting reigning CCAA regular-season champion and current leader Sonoma State (6-1-1, 4-0 CCAA) in primetime on Friday night, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m., followed by Humboldt State on Sunday, Oct. 2, at 2 p.m. Both contests cap doubleheaders with the men at Triton Soccer Stadium. Admission is free, with a live video stream, in high definition, on UCSDtritons.tv.
Triton Notes: UCSD is now 5-0-3 over the last eight regular-season matchups with Chico State ... For a second straight game, the Tritons were without junior starting central midfielder Elisa Martinez (El Cajon/Francis Parker School), who is in Mexico City in training camp with the Mexico U-20 national team.
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