THE SCHEDULE
Match 1
at No. 25 Seattle Pacific (0-0, 0-0 GNAC)
Thursday, Sept. 4 • 7 p.m.
Interbay Stadium • Seattle, Wash.
Live Stats

Match 2
at Saint Martin's (0-0, 0-0 GNAC)
Saturday, Sept. 6 • 4 p.m.
SMU Soccer Field • Lacey, Wash.
Live Stats

THE ROAD BACK BEGINS IN PACIFIC NORTHWEST FOR TRITONS
The UC San Diego women's soccer program opens up the 2014 campaign this week with a pair of non-conference games in the Pacific Northwest against NCAA Division II West Region foes from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). The Tritons flew to Seattle, Wash., on Tuesday afternoon, and will face 25th-ranked Seattle Pacific on Thursday night, Sept. 4, at Interbay Stadium. UCSD then takes on Saint Martin's in Lacey, Wash., at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 6, prior to returning home. Both games will have live stats.

Longtime head coach Brian McManus will look for a turnaround season after his side went an uncharacteristic 7-6-5 overall and 6-5-5 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) in 2013. The Tritons thus missed out on the CCAA Championship for the very first time since joining the league in 2000 after 13 successive conference tourney appearances, and the NCAA postseason incredibly for only the second time in McManus' 27-year tenure.

CCAA PRESEASON POLL
In the CCAA's annual preseason poll, league head coaches picked UCSD to finish fifth, with 11th-ranked Cal State Stanislaus the favorite to repeat its 2013 conference title.

NEW YEAR, NEW FORMAT IN CCAA
The CCAA has made changes to its regular-season and tournament formats in men's and women's soccer for the 2014 season. The six-team, two-division alignment is no more, now with just one 12-team league table. Rather than a 16-game regular-season schedule with two matches against divisional opponents and one against out-of-division foes, each team will face one another once, for a total of 11 CCAA contests. The top six teams in the final standings advance to the CCAA Championship, up from four in prior years. The first- and second-place finishers get first-round byes, with those two games held at campus sites of the higher seeds. The venue for the 2014 CCAA Championship semifinals and final has yet to be determined. The winner on the women's side will once again gain automatic entry into the NCAA Championship.

CALLAHAN BACK TO LEAD TRITONS
All-American central midfielder Cassie Callahan (Coronado/Coronado HS) has led UCSD in goals, assists, total points, shots and shots on goal in each of the past two seasons, and enters her final collegiate campaign with 19 career goals. Fellow senior Izzy Pozurama, a 2012 All-CCAA Second Team selection, also returns. Callahan and Pozurama are second-year captains in 2014. Remaining seniors are Kylie Hill and Kiley Leshin in midfield. Juniors Michelle Yasutake and Kelcie Brodsky are back on defense and in goal, respectively.

ROSTER NOTES
Opposite the four seniors and 18 total returners on the 27-player 2014 UCSD roster are nine newcomers. The program lost just two seniors to graduation a year ago after 10 the season before. Eight players are from San Diego, in Callahan, Maile Nilsson (San Diego/The Preuss School UCSD), Maxia Espino (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS),Devon Roncoroni (San Diego/Bonita Vista HS), and newcomers Jordyn McNutt (San Diego/University City HS),Katie O'Laughlin (Carlsbad/Pacific Ridge School), Anna Nilsson (San Diego/The Preuss School UCSD) and Taylor Ramos (San Diego/Coronado HS). Anna is the younger sister of Maile.

STRONG ROAD PERFORMERS
A loss at then-ninth-ranked Cal State Stanislaus on Oct. 4, 2013, put an end to UCSD's lengthy unbeaten streak in regular-season road matches at 30. The Tritons had gone 21-0-9 in such contests since a 2-1 loss in Arcata to Humboldt State on Sept. 17, 2010. Their only defeat outside of La Jolla in all of 2012 (11-1-3) came against West Florida in the national title match in Evans, Ga. UCSD finished 3-2-2 on the road in 2013.

FOR OPENERS
UCSD is an unbeaten 13-0-1 in season openers in the Division II era, with only a scoreless draw at Western Washington in 2011 preventing a perfect ledger.

HEAD COACH BRIAN McMANUS
Brian McManus begins his 28th season in charge of the UCSD women's soccer program. With a career record of 441-73-47, he has achieved the second-most wins (two behind Gabe Mejail of Merrimack College) in NCAA Division II women's soccer history. McManus' career winning percentage heading into 2014 of .828, ranks among the top 10 in college women's soccer annals, both overall (No. 9) and Division II only (No. 4). He is fifth among all divisions in wins. McManus has directed UCSD to seven national championships and a record eight CCAA banners, with the Tritons advancing to the national semifinals a remarkable 15 times in his 27 years. Under his guidance, UCSD has qualified for the NCAA tournament all 13 seasons during the Division III days, and all but two of 14 years (2004, 2013) since the move up to Division II. Last season marked the first time McManus' Tritons missed a CCAA Championship, having qualified for 13 straight after joining the conference.

ABOUT THE FALCONS
Seattle Pacific was picked to finish second in the GNAC's preseason poll. The Falcons, ranked 25th in the NSCAA's preseason listing, were 15-6-1 overall and 10-4 in league play a year ago en route to a conference tournament crown. UCSD went 3-2-3 against ranked sides in 2012 and 2-3 in 2013. SPU had a new AstroTurf surface installed at Interbay Stadium in July. The Falcons begin their 14th year of women's soccer competition Thursday, with a 9-2-2 record in season openers. They are an unbeaten 12-0-1 all-time in home openers. SPU has qualified for 11 consecutive NCAA Division II Championship fields, all since 12th-year head coach Chuck Sekyra returned to his alma mater for the 2003 season.

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD holds a 5-2 advantage in the all-time series, with five of those meetings (3-2) coming in the NCAA Division II Championship. The Tritons are an even 2-2 against the Falcons in Seattle. UCSD has beaten SPU four straight times since a 3-1 loss in Seattle in 2008. Last year, the Tritons posted a come-from-behind, 2-1 decision over then-21st-ranked SPU in the season opener for both rivals on Sept. 5.

ABOUT THE SAINTS
Saint Martin's has been picked to place fifth in the GNAC race. The Saints were 4-12-1 overall and 3-10-1 in league activity in 2013. SMU hosts Corban University of Oregon in its season opener on Thursday afternoon prior to welcoming in the Tritons.

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD and Saint Martin's have never previously met in women's soccer.

GEAR HERE
UCSD Athletics has partnered with Advanced-Online to provide a web-based, on-demand option for UCSD apparel and merchandise. Fans have access to over 600 products that can be processed and shipped within 24 hours. Visit the site at UCSDTritonsGear.com.

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UP NEXT
UCSD awaits its 2014 home opener at Triton Soccer Stadium on North Campus on Thursday, Sept. 11. Kickoff against Azusa Pacific is set for 4:30 p.m., with the ninth-ranked Triton men following at 7 p.m. against Dixie State. UCSD then hosts California Baptist on Saturday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m.

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