SEASIDE, Calif. - The No. 8 University of California San Diego women's soccer team had little trouble defeating Cal State Monterey Bay, 4-0, in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) match at the Otter Sports Complex on Sunday.

In putting the finishing touches on a seventh straight victory, UC San Diego improved to 10-2 overall and 6-0 in the CCAA. The Tritons also took over sole possession of the top spot in the conference table, now with the full 18 points, with reigning champion Sonoma State and Cal State LA each at 5-1 and 15 apiece. CSUMB lost its sixth in a row to fall to 4-8 overall and 1-7 in league play.

UCSD produced a flurry of six shots within just the first 10 minutes, five of them on frame. Three were from senior co-captain Kiera Bocchino.

Then in the 15th, Katie O'Laughlin (Carlsbad/Pacific Ridge School) struck for her 10th goal of the year, which still leads both the league and West Region. It also matches her career-best output from a year ago. The junior striker received the ball in a rather innocuous position around the left side, loads away from goal with her back to the target. She took a couple of casual dribbles toward the center, and let loose a seemingly-casual right-footed shot from around 30 yards out. Sophomore Otter goalkeeper Victoria Whyte could only punch it into the upper netting.

O'Laughlin nearly made it 2-0 around the midway point of the period, running onto a dangerous through ball by a teammate, only for Whyte to catch her right-footed effort from the right diagonal.

Whyte had 11 saves already by the break, as UCSD out-shot the home side, 14-5.

Early in the second, sophomore forward Mary Reilly (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS) went galloping down the right, cut in and put a left-footed shot that went right at Whyte.

By the hour mark, however, the result had been clinched after all. In the 52nd, Bocchino notched her seventh, shooting from left to right after receiving a pass from Reilly, whose eighth assist tied her for the team lead.

Three and a half minutes later, Makenzie Brito took a short pass from Jamie Benedetto, dribbled forward and took a wicked right-footed shot from just outside the penalty box that knuckled to the left side of the frame. It was the junior right back's first collegiate goal, and credited as unassisted.

Sophomore winger Summer Bales capped the scoring with a mere 31 ticks left. Fourth-year senior Kristen Sampietrostreaked down the right flank before crossing to the opposite side. Bales hit the tough-angle shot into the upper left corner for her second of 2016. For Sampietro, it was a first assist for the season.

Senior Itzel Gonzalez made three saves in posting her eighth clean sheet on the year and fourth in a row. Whyte finished with 14 stops for the Otters. The Tritons produced a final shot advantage of a season-high 28, to just six.

"Overall, it was a really good 'team' performance," remarked UC San Diego head coach Brian McManus. "We got the first-half goal from Katie (O'Laughlin), but gave up a couple of chances, and if Itzel (Gonzalez) hadn't made one nice save, it could have been a different game.

"I felt like Friday's game at San Francisco State played a role. We were able to rest some of our key players in that one, which helped in the second half today with the big field and tall grass. Our fitness came into play and we were able to put it away."

UC San Diego returns to La Jolla Sunday night and awaits one final home weekend for the regular season, hosting Cal State LA on Friday, Oct. 14, at 4:30 p.m., and then Cal State Dominguez Hills on Senior Day on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 11:30 a.m.

Triton Notes: UCSD remains an unbeaten 12-0-1 in the all-time series, outscoring the Otters, 40-5 ... Its only blemish was a 1-1 draw in La Jolla in the previous meeting, exactly one year ago ... The Tritons are a perfect 7-0 against the Otters in Seaside ... This is their longest win streak since beginning the 2012 campaign with seven in a row ... UCSD has scored two or more goals in eight successive games, matching its high for the NCAA Division II era from the program's very first year there back in 2000 ... Elisa Martinez (El Cajon/Francis Parker School) returned to the starting lineup in central midfield for the first time since Sept. 16 at Central Washington ... The Tritons had used the exact same starting 11 for the previous five contests ... UCSD has outscored opponents 35-6 this year as the West Region's top offensive side, and an incredible 25-2 after halftime.

#AllForOne

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