UCSD Men Rally to Complete Perfect Week

September 4, 2016

LA JOLLA, Calif. - The University of California San Diego men's soccer team got a late goal from senior Riley Harbour to edge Westmont College, 2-1, in non-conference action at Triton Soccer Stadium on Saturday.

UC San Diego remained perfect at 2-0 on the young season. The Tritons rallied from a 1-0 deficit to a 2-1 triumph for the second time in three nights, following Nick Palano's double-overtime winner against Azusa Pacific on Thursday, also at home. Westmont, a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the Golden State Athletic Conference out of Santa Barbara, fell to an even 1-1.

Saturday marked the teams' first matchup in over two decades, since 1995. The result was then just a second win for the Tritons over the Warriors, the other coming all the way back in 1993 when UCSD went on to its third of three NCAA Division III national championships. Westmont stills leads the all-time series, 9-2-2.

Harbour took a touch and slotted a right-footed shot from just outside the top of the 18-yard box, into the bottom left corner for what proved to be the winner in the 79th minute. It was in fact the fourth-year senior midfielder's first career decider. Assists went to Malek Bashti and Sam Palano in setting up the play.

Bashti, a redshirt junior, earlier was credited with the assist on junior striker Uly de la Cal's equalizer, which came at 35:55, as de la Cal took over possession and calmly found the right side of the goal with a low shot from the left diagonal.

Westmont had opened the scoring against the run of play in the 16th, as Augie Andrade shot right-footed from a tight angle on the right and into the upper left corner. The goals were the first on the year for Andrade, de la Cal and Harbour. Bashti, who began the year with one career helper, already has three.

Cameron McElfresh made three stops in the Triton goal. The senior deftly parried Drew Alltop's hard, right-footed effort out to a corner kick early in the 52nd minute to keep matters level at 1-1. Spencer Petty had a pair of saves for Westmont.

Head coach Jon Pascale would have been doubly pleased to come away with the win short-handed, having made six changes to his starting lineup from Thursday. Senior starting defenders Kuba Waligorski and Brett Sampiereweren't even in uniform, with an eye toward sixth-ranked Colorado Mines in five days' time. Nolan Mac and Matt Merrill also were not utilized.

In those players' absence, true freshmen Jonathan Stoop and Kelvin Uribe earned their first career starts in central midfield and at center back, respectively, the latter Triton making his college debut. Junior transfer Steven Ortiz was also a first-time UCSD starter, at left back. All three played the full 90 minutes.

UCSD had several chances early in the first period to dent the score. Justice Duerksen's left-sided cross was chested down by Sam Palano, only for Harbour's low shot to be blocked out by Westmont center back Genaro Hurtado just 4:32 in. Five minutes later, Ortiz dribbled in from the left, but Palano headed his cross too high. In the 62nd, it was Palano to twin brother Nick, and then back again, but Sam's sliding shot was saved nicely by Petty diving to his left.

Through Saturday's action, UC San Diego is the only 2-0 squad in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. Cal State East Bay has a chance to match on Sunday.

UCSD continues a season-long five-game homestand this Thursday, Sept. 8, welcoming in No. 6 Colorado School of Mines (1-0) for a marquee interregional showdown in primetime. Kickoff at Triton Soccer Stadium is set for 7 p.m.

Triton Notes: Westmont won the last meeting between the sides, 4-1, in neutral-site Azusa back on Sept. 8, 1995 ... UCSD's 1993 victory on Oct. 8 was by the score of 2-0, also in La Jolla ... The series dates back almost 40 years to Nov. 10, 1976, when the Warriors took a 3-1 decision in Santa Barbara ... Kuba Waligorski sat out the match after having appeared in and started all 39 contests UC San Diego has played since he arrived on campus ahead of the 2014 season, all at center back ... Zachary Lagotta and Jeff Powers made their season debuts, starting at right winger and right back, respectively, with Powers playing all 90 minutes ... Lagotta had to sit out Thursday's opener due to yellow-card accumulation, having picked up his fifth caution of 2015 in last season's finale ... The match kicked off half an hour later than originally scheduled, at 5:30 p.m., due to traffic on the way down for Westmont.

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