LA JOLLA, Calif. - UC San Diego rallied from a 2-0 deficit to send the game into overtime, but ultimately fell 3-2 to Cal State San Bernardino in a California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) women's soccer match at Triton Soccer Stadium on Sunday evening.

With a second straight 3-2 overtime loss at home for the weekend, UCSD dropped to 4-3 overall and 0-2 in the CCAA. CSUSB improved to 2-3-2 overall and 1-0-1 in league play.

Redshirt sophomore Maxia Espino (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS) and true freshman Summer Bales notched their first collegiate goals in the 75th and 85th minute, respectively, to draw UCSD level at 2-2. The Tritons had just 48 hours prior relinquished a 2-0 lead in a difficult 3-2 defeat to Cal Poly Pomona. Attempting to flip the script, they unfortunately wound up on the wrong side again on Sunday, as Denae Verdine turned in a pass from the end line at 97:00 even for the decisive goal.

Senior Kelcie Brodsky had one save in net for UCSD, which held advantages of 20-14 in shots taken, including 11-8 for the second half, and 8-1 in corner kicks. Junior Emily Whyte finished with seven stops for CSUSB.

Trailing 2-0 after an hour, the Tritons pulled one back at 74:11 as they won a free kick right at the top of the Coyote penalty area. Up stepped Espino, and buried a right-footed blast into the back left corner with Whyte unable to make any move.

UCSD kept pressing for an equalizer, and what an equalizer it found at 84:32. Mary Reilly (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS) provided the dangerous cross from the right flank for her classmate, and Bales ran onto it from the far side, leapt and met the ball perfectly at its peak, snapping her header down off the ground and back up into the upper right corner of the cage. In addition to being Bales' first goal, the assist was Reilly's first as a college player.

Despite that momentum gained, the Tritons were unable to complete their rally in the extra stanzas. Reilly almost did, but Whyte saved her strong left-footed strike out to a corner kick at 92:34.

With exactly three minutes remaining in that first overtime, the visitors grabbed the full three points. Alex Yockey took the ball from Alyssa Campa on the right flank, dribbled to the end line inside the penalty box, and slid a short pass on the ground toward the near post. Verdine was there, and was true with her effort, low to Brodsky's left for her third goal of 2015. Yockey and Campa both earned assists.

CSUSB had gotten out to the 2-0 lead through a brace by star senior forward Melanie Aguayo. The first came after a deflection, with Aguayo dribbling forward on the right side and putting her shot into the bottom left corner at the 12:06 mark. In the 59th, Verdine's shot was blocked by a defender and fell straight into the wheelhouse of Aguayo, who made no mistake and notched her league-leading sixth goal of 2015.

The Tritons came agonizingly close to the opener just 3:30 in, as freshman left back Louisa Alstot sent a corner kick into the area, and sophomore striker Katie O'Laughlin banged her header right up against the underside of the crossbar.

UCSD concludes a season-long five-match homestand with two more conference tilts next weekend, hosting Cal State East Bay on Friday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m., and Stanislaus State on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 2 p.m. The Triton men start things off at 4:30 p.m. and 11:30 a.m., respectively. Admission at Triton Soccer Stadium is free.

#TritonsRising

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