AZUSA, Calif. - A showdown of two 2-0 sides saw Azusa Pacific get past UC San Diego, 1-0, in non-conference women's soccer action Thursday night at the Cougar Soccer Complex.

UCSD (2-1) was facing its first road date of 2015. APU (3-0) was contesting its home opener after a pair of wins in Turlock last week over the Tritons' California Collegiate Athletic Association opponents.

It didn't take long for the game's first shot to come, as Jamie Benedetto went wide of the target just 86 seconds in. The Cougars had the better run of play from there, however, out-shooting the Tritons, 9-4, with six efforts on frame, to none by UCSD.

The home side was finally rewarded late in the period, as senior Cassidy Burr retrieved the ball outside the penalty area and found the net with her right foot for her first career goal in the 40th minute.

APU came close to doubling its advantage in the 55th minute, but Mayra Almazan was denied by the post. That kicked off a flurry of seven shots for the Cougars within six minutes, requiring three saves from Kelcie Brodsky to keep UCSD in the match.

Brodsky made 11 saves in all. Her seventh, in the 56th minute, marked the milestone 300th of her incredible career as a four-year starter. Her program-record total now stands at 304. Brodsky reached double figures in a single game for the second time. She had 13 in a 1-1 home draw with Cal State L.A. last Sept. 22. Sarah Klinkenberg made two stops to keep her third straight clean sheet to begin the year.

The 23 shots by APU were the most the Tritons have surrendered since CSULA produced 31 in that same match a year ago. UCSD wound up with seven.

Summer Bales' shot finally necessitated Klinkenberg's first save in the 80th minute. The junior Cougar net-minder then turned away another Triton freshman in Mary Reilly (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS) at 87:58 to seal the result.

"We didn't play particularly well, and the goal we gave up was terrible," said UCSD head coach Brian McManus. "Their player made a run of about 30 yards, and nobody made a move to stop her. Somebody needed to step up. When she wasn't challenged, she just took what was given. I thought we played a lot better in the last two games."

UCSD still leads the all-time series, 9-2-1, having won 2-1 in double overtime last Sept. 11 in La Jolla. The teams were meeting in Azusa for the first time since a 2-1 APU victory back in 1998. In fact, the Tritons had outscored the Cougars, 31-0, in taking the first eight matchups, before that 1998 result.

UCSD plays the middle contest of its three-games-in-five-days stretch in Riverside on Saturday afternoon against California Baptist, a fourth straight PacWest opponent to start the year. Kickoff at Lancer Soccer Field is set for 1 p.m., with the two schools' men's sides squaring off later at 4:30 p.m.

#TritonsRising

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