UCSD Women Begin CCAA Tournament at Home

November 3, 2015

THE SCHEDULE
Match 19 - CCAA Tournament First Round
vs. Cal Poly Pomona (9-6-2, 6-5-1 CCAA)
Tuesday, Nov. 3 • 7 p.m.
Triton Soccer Stadium • La Jolla
Live Stats

TRITONS BEGIN PURSUIT OF RECORD NINTH CCAA BANNER AT HOME
The UC San Diego women's soccer team kicks off its postseason run in the first round of the 2015 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament at home this Tuesday night, Nov. 3. Start time at Triton Soccer Stadium is set for 7 p.m. as the fourth-seeded Tritons (12-5-1, 7-4-1 CCAA) host fifth-seeded rival Cal Poly Pomona (9-6-2, 6-5-1 CCAA). UCSD is 8-2-1 at home this year, with CPP 4-3-2 outside of Pomona.

The Broncos rallied from a 2-0 deficit over the last half-hour of regulation and ultimately won in overtime on an own goal, 3-2, in the regular-season matchup between the sides, also in La Jolla, back on Sept. 18. The Tritons have in fact dropped their last three against CPP, including a 2-0 loss in a first-round tilt of last year's CCAA tourney, in Pomona. UCSD is 0-2-1 against the Broncos in La Jolla since a 1-0 decision on Sept. 9, 2012.

UCSD has not staged a CCAA Tournament game since hosting (and winning) what was then a four-team affair in 2008.

MATCHDAY
The general admission charge to attend this Tuesday night's contest is $5. Parking permits are also required on weeknights on the UCSD campus. They can be purchased at machines situated at corners of either of the nearest parking lots, behind the spectator stand, as well as the Hopkins Parking Structure behind RIMAC. Live stats are available here.

FIRST 100 UCSD STUDENTS GET IN FREE!
The first 100 UCSD students with identification will gain free entry into Triton Soccer Stadium for this Tuesday night's CCAA Tournament first-round match.

CCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Tritons are in search of a record ninth CCAA title, with the last one coming in 2012. They will be making a 15th CCAA Tournament appearance, more than any other current member, in their 16th season in the conference. UCSD only missed the event in 2013. The Tritons fell 2-0 at Cal Poly Pomona in the first round last Nov. 2. They were eliminated in the semifinals of three straight CCAA tournaments, all in Turlock, with the first two after penalty-kick tiebreakers, in between banners in 2008 in La Jolla and 2012 in Carson. UCSD is 14-4-4 over its 14 appearances, including an unbeaten 5-0-1 at home and 2-1 against CPP, with a 2-0 win in the 2001 title game in La Jolla.

A LOOK BACK AT LAST WEEK
UCSD blanked area rival Cal State San Marcos 2-0 at home for the second time in 10 days in its last action on Friday night, Oct. 30. That matchup was a non-conference affair, with sophomores Katie O'Laughlin and Taylor Ramos providing the goals. Ramos' was the first of her career for the San Diego native. Junior defenders Meghan Berry and Kristen Sampietro delivered assists on O'Laughlin's winner, with Mary Reilly setting up Ramos late, both goals coming on shots from outside the penalty area. Kelcie Brodsky needed to make just one save for her eighth shutout of 2015 and fifth in the last six games.

TRITONS IN REGION POLLS
The second installment of the all-important, official NCAA regional polls was unveiled last Wednesday, Oct. 28. UCSD vaulted from seventh to fourth in the West, with the help of the 4-0 win on Oct. 23 at Chico State, which was fifth in the initial poll. The top six teams in the final version of that listing, set for a live reveal on Monday, Nov. 9, qualify for the 2015 NCAA Championship. The selection show will air live on NCAA.com at 3:30 p.m. PT that afternoon. UCSD moved up from eighth to fifth in the eighth National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) West Region poll, released on Tuesday, Oct. 27.

POSTSEASON PICTURE
UCSD completed the 12-game CCAA season alone in fourth with 22 points from a 7-4-1 league mark. Ninth-ranked Sonoma State is the regular-season champion and has earned the top seed for the 2015 CCAA Tournament with an unbeaten 10-0-2 record. The Seawolves and second-seeded Chico State automatically are through to the tourney semifinals at Kellogg Field on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona, a first-time host of the league semis and final. In addition to UCSD and CPP, the other first-round match on Tuesday will pit third-seeded Cal State L.A. and sixth-seeded reigning West Region champion Stanislaus State in Los Angeles at 4:30 p.m. The winner of the game in La Jolla has Sonoma State on Friday at 1:30 p.m. The other semifinal would see Chico State taking on the winner from Los Angeles at 11 a.m. The CCAA championship game is set for a 12:30 p.m. kickoff in Pomona on Sunday, Nov. 8, with the conference's automatic entry into the NCAA Championship at stake.

LATE-SEASON MAGIC DUPLICATED
With their backs against the wall last year, the Tritons went 5-0-1 over their last six conference matches, surrendering just a single goal with four of those contests on the road, to earn a return trip to the CCAA tournament after their first-ever absence from the event in 2013. This season, UCSD went 4-1 in its last five league tilts, again with only one goal conceded, that coming in a 1-0 loss at then-11th-ranked Sonoma State, to make it back to the postseason. Three of those games were away from home. The Tritons then also defeated Cal State San Marcos, 2-0, in a non-conference regular-season finale on Oct. 30. They have not conceded a goal over the last 342:12.

REILLY REALLY MAKES MARK ON COLLEGE GAME
Mary Reilly, a true freshman locally out of Chula Vista and Hilltop High School, leads the CCAA with nine goals scored (tied), 68 shots taken and 45 shots on goal. She is second with three game-winning goals (tied) and third with 21 total points, and has 21 more shots on goal than the next closest player. The forward hit for an incredible four goals in a 4-2 win at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday night, Oct. 2, becoming the first Triton to do so since former All-American Megan Dickey during an 11-0 home victory over Central Washington more than a decade before on Sept. 8, 2005.

BRODSKY BROADENS CAREER CREDENTIALS
Kelcie Brodsky continues to add to her stellar numbers as UCSD's fourth-year starting goalkeeper. Having set the program's single-season saves mark at 114 as a true freshman in 2012, she broke the career standard in that category in the final game of her junior campaign. She then eclipsed the 300-save mark with her seventh in the 56th minute at Azusa Pacific (9/10), reaching double figures for a single contest for the second time as she finished with 11. Brodsky's career total stands at 364. She is second in the CCAA with 79 on the year, having twice led the league in saves, in 2012 (114) and 2014 (83). At home against Point Loma (9/5), she kept her 20th individual shutout as a Triton, and now has eight on the year and 27 in all. The Agoura Hills product has received postseason recognition from the CCAA for each of her first three years. She made the All-CCAA Second Team as a freshman and junior, garnering All-CCAA honorable mention in between. Brodsky is third this season in the CCAA in goals-against average (0.81) and goalie minutes (1662:34), fourth in save percentage (.840), and tied for second in shutouts. She is 19th nationally in minutes.

BRODSKY SWEEPS NATIONAL AND CONFERENCE WEEKLY HONORS
Kelcie Brodsky was named on Oct. 27 both among the NSCAA College Players of the Week, and as the CCAA Player of the Week, for the week of Oct. 19-25. She made a total of 10 saves while keeping a pair of shutouts as UCSD won its final two CCAA contests, clinching a berth in the 2015 CCAA Tournament with the latter result on Oct. 23, a 4-0 decision at Chico State. Brodsky played a major role in UCSD going 4-1 over its final five conference matches with four shutout triumphs and just one goal surrendered during the stretch in a 1-0 road loss at then-11th-ranked league leader Sonoma State.

O'LAUGHLIN A CCAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore striker Katie O'Laughlin earned CCAA Player of the Week distinction for the first time in her career on Sept. 29. The Carlsbad product accounted for the decisive goal in UCSD home victories on Sept. 25 and Sept. 27, representing her first game-winning tallies as a Triton. She is second on the team with seven goals, 16 total points, 55 shots and 23 shots on goal for the year.

YOUTH BEING SERVED
A total of 25 of UCSD's 30 goals this season have come from first- or second-year collegians, with nine by freshman Mary Reilly, seven by sophomore Katie O'Laughlin, three by freshman Megumi Barber, and two by sophomore Jordyn McNutt. The other nine scores have come from freshmen Summer Bales and Danielle Nunn, sophomores Elisa Martinez and Taylor Ramos, redshirt junior Kiera Bocchino (two), junior Jamie Benedetto, and redshirt sophomore Maxia Espino (two). Underclassmen have also been the providers of 19 of 29 assists, with seven by McNutt, three by Reilly and two each by Bales, Barber and O'Laughlin. UCSD had a season high of six true freshmen or sophomores in its starting lineup in three straight matches from Sept. 12-18. Goalkeeper Kelcie Brodskyis the only senior who has seen action.

TRITON NOTES
Katie O'Laughlin is second in the CCAA in shots (55), behind only strike partner Mary Reilly, third in shots on goal (23), and tied for fifth in goals (seven) ... With 16 goals combined, Reilly and O'Laughlin make up the number-two scoring duo in the conference ... Jordyn McNutt is tied for second in assists (seven), and Kiera Bocchino tied for 11th (four) ... Six of the 12 Triton wins in 2015 have been by one-goal margins ... UCSD is 6-5 in one-goal games ... UCSD is 14-1-1 in season openers in the Division II era, including this year's 2-1 overtime triumph at home vs. Concordia (9/3) ... UCSD is an even 8-8 in CCAA openers after back-to-back losses ... UCSD was picked to finish seventh in the 2015 CCAA race, as voted on in the preseason poll conducted by the league's 13 head coaches, with Cal State L.A. favored to repeat ... The Tritons went 9-6-3 overall and 6-3-2 in the CCAA a year ago, placing sixth.

ROSTER NOTES
UCSD's 31-player 2015 roster has three seniors in four-year starting goalkeeper Kelcie Brodsky, fourth-year midfielder Maile Nilsson (San Diego/The Preuss School UCSD) and third-year Triton Lyndsay Gehring ... Fourth-year Triton goalkeeper Itzel Gonzalez is redshirting ... Fourteen newcomers joined the program, including 11 true freshmen ... Nine new Tritons have made their debuts ... Back are 2014 All-CCAA Second Team picks Brodsky and Jordyn McNutt, who led the side in goals (tied-five), assists (seven) and points (17) as a freshman out of University City High School ... Kiera Bocchino (four goals, three assists), Aimee EllisKatie O'Laughlin (Carlsbad/Pacific Ridge School) and Kristen Sampietro also return as Tritons who started at least 10 matches in 2014 ... Bocchino, who primarily plays on the left wing, and new center back Meghan Berry, both redshirt juniors, are first-time co-captains ... Nine players are from San Diego in McNutt, Nilsson, O'Laughlin, Maxia Espino (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS), Anna Nilsson (San Diego/The Preuss School UCSD) and Taylor Ramos (San Diego/Coronado HS), and newcomers Megumi Barber (San Diego/Mt. Carmel HS), Elisa Martinez (El Cajon/Univ. of Sioux Falls/Francis Parker School) and Mary Reilly (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS) ... Anna is the younger sister of Maile ... Berry, a second-year Triton who attended San Diego Miramar College after Mt. Carmel High School, was born in Dallas and lists Austin, Texas, as her hometown.

HEAD COACH BRIAN McMANUS
Brian McManus is in his 29th season in charge of the UCSD women's soccer program. With a career record of 462-84-51, he has achieved the most wins (one more than Gabe Mejail of Merrimack College) in NCAA Division II women's soccer history, and fifth-most for all divisions. McManus' career winning percentage heading into 2015 of .820, ranked among the top 10 in college women's soccer annals, both overall (No. 9) and Division II only (No. 4). He was also second in win percentage among active Division II coaches. McManus has directed UCSD to seven national titles and a record eight CCAA banners, with the Tritons advancing to the national semifinals a remarkable 15 times in his 28 years. Under his guidance, UCSD has qualified for the NCAA Championship all 13 seasons during the Division III days, and all but three (2004, 2013-14) of 15 years since the move up to Division II. McManus' Tritons missed the CCAA Tournament for the first time in 2013, having earned 13 straight berths after joining the conference. They rallied late to achieve a return trip a year ago, and are back again for a 15th time.

JONESY NOW ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH
Kristin Jones, a two-time national champion and two-time All-American as one of the greatest players to ever come through the storied UCSD women's soccer program, was elevated by Brian McManus to the position of associate head coach on Aug. 28. She is in her 16th straight year as a Triton, and 12th on the UCSD bench. Jones joined McManus' staff immediately upon exhausting her eligibility, ahead of the 2004 season, and became his top assistant in 2006.

ABOUT THE BRONCOS
Cal Poly Pomona (9-6-2, 6-5-1 CCAA) finished fifth in the league standings following a 2-1 home loss to ninth-ranked regular-season champion Sonoma State on Saturday afternoon. Daisy Duran is CPP's leading goal-scorer with five. Fellow sophomore Ricki Ives (1.20 GAA) is the starting goalkeeper. Vanessa Valentine is in her first season as the Broncos' head coach.

SERIES HISTORY
UCSD leads the all-time series, 33-13-4. CPP won the regular-season matchup this season, 3-2 in overtime, in La Jolla back on Sept. 18, rallying from a 2-0 deficit. The Tritons dropped both meetings last year, 1-0 at home during the regular season on an unassisted Daisy Duran goal just 2:35 into the contest, and 2-0 in Pomona in a first-round matchup of the CCAA tournament. UCSD had swept the home-and-home series four years in a row before the teams played to a 2-2 draw in the initial 2013 meeting in La Jolla. A first-half opener by Jamie Benedetto and 70th-minute equalizer by Cassie Callahan bookended a pair of Bronco scores. The return date that year in Pomona went the way of the Tritons, 1-0, on Michelle Yasutake's strike in the 81st minute.

GEAR UP
For the latest in Triton athletic gear, make sure to visit ucsdtritonsgear.com. Run by UCSD Athletics' online partner, Advanced-Online, the site provides an on-demand option for Triton athletic apparel and merchandise. Fans have access to over 600 products that can be processed and shipped within 24 hours.

FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are in eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UCSD home athletic events, and much more!

SOCIAL MEDIA (#TritonsRising)
UCSD Athletics on Facebook (UCSDtritons)
UCSD Athletics on Instagram (@UCSDtritons)
UCSD Athletics on Twitter (@UCSDtritons)
UCSD Athletics on YouTube (UCSDathletics)

UP NEXT
If UCSD defeats Cal Poly Pomona on Tuesday night, it will take on ninth-ranked regular-season champion Sonoma State in the second CCAA Tournament semifinal at 1:30 p.m. this Friday, Nov. 6, at Kellogg Field on the CPP campus. In the event the Tritons don't advance, they will await the announcement of the field for the 2015 NCAA Championship, which will air live at 3:30 p.m. PT on NCAA.com on Monday, Nov. 9.

#TritonsRising

Trending Videos
 
IMG Academy Top 150 Rankings
see full ranking:
Boys Girls