SAN DIEGO - A pair of second-half strikes pushed the seventh-ranked University of California, San Diego past city rival Point Loma, 2-0, in non-conference women's soccer Tuesday at PLNU Soccer Field.

UC San Diego, which earlier in the day had just moved from unranked in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) preseason poll, all the way up to No. 7 in its first edition, improved to 2-0. Point Loma, the two-time defending Pacific West Conference (PacWest) champion, fell to 1-1-1. The Tritons and Sea Lions were picked first and second in their respective coaches' prognostications.

UCSD managed a couple of half-chances in the first 45 minutes, with a header by Katie O'Laughlin (Carlsbad/Pacific Ridge School) going wide, followed by a Mary Reilly (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS) shot sailing high of the target. Shots were even at the break at 3-3.

The Tritons finally dented the scoreboard in the 54th minute, thanks to their formidable tandem up front. Reilly turned her defender and played a short cross on the ground from the right near the endline, and O'Laughlin blasted a one-time right-footed shot into the upper netting for her fourth goal already on the season.

The junior San Diego product had been named the season's first California Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Week on Tuesday morning, by virtue of her first collegiate hat trick in last Thursday night's season-opening 5-0 rout of Azusa Pacific.

Reilly almost doubled the lead moments later, but her effort was saved by goalkeeper Ariel Oriarte. O'Laughlin then went galloping down the left flank in the 66th minute and tried to return the favor with a cross from the left this time for Reilly, but the sophomore was just wide with the inside of her right foot.

Summer Bales made it 2-0 in the 81st minute with her first of the year. Assists went to fellow sophomore Megumi Barber and junior right back Makenzie Brito. Brito provided the first-time right-sided cross for her team-best third assist, Barber got a shoulder flick to the ball, and Bales produced the left-footed tap-in from close range.

Itzel Gonzalez made two saves in goal for the Tritons, posting her second shutout in as many games as the full-time starter. She was called upon to make one difficult denial in the 70th, slapping away Cori Deason's equalizer bid. Fellow senior Oriarte, the PacWest Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, had three stops for Point Loma.

UC San Diego returns home to Triton Soccer Stadium for a pair of matchups with Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foes this coming weekend in Regis on Friday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m., and No. 6 Colorado Mines on Sunday, Sept. 11, at 11:30 a.m.

Triton Notes: Tuesday's match was the first official meeting at Point Loma between the city foes ... UCSD was previously set to play there on Sept. 16, 2014, but that game was suspended by lightning with the Tritons leading 1-0 in the 34th minute, and was ruled a no contest ... UCSD leads the all-time series, 3-0, with a pair of 1-0 home wins in 2000 and 2015 ... Elisa Martinez missed the match through injury after having started 10 straight going back to late in 2015 ... Fellow junior Taylor Ramos started in her place as the only change from Thursday's opener ... True freshman Bianca Zavala made her college debut as a late first-half substitute.

#AllForOne

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