RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The UC San Diego women's soccer team grabbed an early goal and played some stifling defense from there in topping California Baptist University, 1-0, in a non-conference match at Lancer Field on Saturday afternoon.

With the victory, UCSD improved to 3-1. CBU, picked to finish second in the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) race, came away still searching for its first win at 0-3-1.

The contest marked the Tritons' fourth and final one against PacWest opposition for the 2015 regular season.

UCSD out-shot CBU, 9-2, over the first 45 minutes, but neither side could manage an attempt after the 21st. The Tritons produced each of the first five, with none of them on target, before Lancer goalkeeper Sara Escobedo was whistled for a foul inside her own penalty box in the 13th minute.

That action created an interesting matchup between a pair of true sophomores who were classmates at San Diego's University City High School. Triton midfielder Jordyn McNutt stepped up and slotted her right-footed shot low to her right, with Escobedo diving to the opposite end. McNutt's second goal of the year gave UCSD the 1-0 edge at 12:32. It was her first collegiate penalty-kick attempt, and the Tritons' first of 2015. They had converted on just one of three opportunities from the spot in 2014.

CBU nearly pulled level a little more than six minutes later, but senior goalkeeper Kelcie Brodsky made a critical save on Justene Kesterson to keep the lead intact.

UCSD had two chances in quick succession around the 60th minute in the second half, to double its advantage. First, freshman Mary Reilly (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS) shot right-footed from the edge of the area on the left side, but the ball curled narrowly around the right post. Moments later, Reilly ran onto a deep pass down the right flank, cut inside and laid it off to teammate Katie O'Laughlin (Carlsbad/Pacific Ridge School), but the sophomore's attempt ended up in Escobedo's hands.

At 63:02, the home side nearly knotted the score on the other end. Kesterson corralled the ball in a dangerous positon on the left diagonal and cut in for her right foot, but the PacWest Preseason Player of the Year missed just wide of the target. For CBU, which is stuck on just one goal scored through its first four matches, it was as close as it would come to an equalizer.

Brodsky made two saves for the Tritons and notched her second individual shutout of the season and 21st of her career. Escobedo was credited with six stops. The final shot tally was 18-5 in favor of UCSD.

"Our forwards did a great job," said UCSD head coach Brian McManus. "Up against a flat back end, Katie (O'Laughlin) and Mary (Reilly) ran off each other very well and were able to get behind the defenders pretty consistently. It was an excellent performance on a big field in hot, muggy conditions. When we got Elisa (Martinez) and Megumi (Barber) in there (at forward), it gave us a whole different look. They were able to turn the defenders and keep the offensive pressure on.

"We were missing Kristen (Sampietro) in the back, but our defense did enough to get us through, and all of our reserves were very solid today. It was a good win."

UCSD now leads the all-time series, 11-1, with its lone defeat coming at home in La Jolla in the previous meeting last Sept. 13, by the final score of 2-0. The teams had last played each other in Riverside in 1998, the Tritons taking a 4-1 decision. UCSD is 6-0 at CBU, out-scoring the Lancers there, 19-2.

UCSD concludes a busy week with its third game in five days Monday evening in La Jolla, hosting 14th-ranked league rival Cal State L.A. in a non-conference matchup. Kickoff at Triton Soccer Stadium is set for 5:30 p.m. Admission is free.

#TritonsRising

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