UCSD Women Cruise in CCAA Tourney Opener

November 5, 2015

LA JOLLA, Calif. - UC San Diego scored a pair of goals on either side of halftime and posted a 4-1 victory over Cal Poly Pomona in the first round of the 2015 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Women's Soccer Tournament at Triton Soccer Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

The contest was originally scheduled for Tuesday night, but with the Tritons leading 1-0 at halftime, a second, lengthy lightning delay prevented its completion. In fact ruled a no contest, the game had to be played from the beginning on Wednesday.

A fourth straight win and sixth over its last seven, moved fourth-seeded UCSD to 13-5-1 overall. Cal Poly Pomona, the No. 5 seed, had its season ended at 9-7-2.

UCSD advances to face 10th-ranked, top-seeded, regular-season champion Sonoma State this Friday, Nov. 6, at 1:30 p.m. at Kellogg Field on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona. CPP is the first-time host of the men's and women's semifinals and finals.

The Tritons' underclassmen duo up front of sophomore Katie O'Laughlin (Carlsbad/Pacific Ridge School) and freshman Mary Reilly (Chula Vista/Hilltop HS), proved to be just too much for the Broncos on this day. O'Laughlin bagged a two-goal brace to increase her season total to nine, while Reilly notched what wound up being the game-winner, marking her conference-leading 10th on the year.

Kelcie Brodsky made eight saves for UCSD. Sophomore Ricki Ives had three stops for the Broncos.

The Tritons both gained a measure of revenge against CPP, as well as overturned seemingly a string of recent misfortunes in facing the Broncos. UCSD's 2014 season was ended at their hands, 2-0, in the CCAA first round, that after the Tritons had already dropped a 1-0 home decision during the regular season. Earlier this season, UCSD was leading 2-0 after 60 minutes of play, only to see CPP storm back to send the game to overtime before stealing all three points on an own goal. Then came Tuesday's harsh reality of having a 1-0 halftime lead wiped away by weather.

O'Laughlin opened the scoring at 12:47 through fine combination play with her strike partner. She fed the ball to Reilly around the middle of the park, with Reilly dribbling herself down the right side before rounding her final defender and crossing into the middle. O'Laughlin took two quick touches and rifled a right-footed shot from almost on top of the penalty spot, finding the top right corner.

In the 26th minute, it was Reilly's turn. Sophomore Elisa Martinez (El Cajon/Univ. of Sioux Falls/Francis Parker School) sent a crossing pass from left to right, and Reilly found the bottom left corner from the right diagonal with her right foot.

Brodsky came up huge approaching halftime, leaping to get her fingertips to a strong effort by Reanne Macon in the middle of a three-shot Bronco flurry.

Within five minutes of the restart, the matter was settled. At 47:13, sophomore winger Jordyn McNutt, yet another local product out of University City High School, expertly sent her right-footed attempt into the upper left corner after Reilly had laid off a left-sided cross from Martinez. Both those players were credited with assists.

O'Laughlin then capped the UCSD offensive effort at 49:27. McNutt sent in a corner kick from the left side, and O'Laughlin was toward the far post to head the ball back across and over the goal line. McNutt's assist was her team-best eighth, a new high for her career after contributing seven as a freshman in 2014.

Cal Poly Pomona kept the Tritons from posting a fourth successive shutout, and sixth out of seven during this late-season surge, through a Macon goal in the 58th minute. Rachel Killigrew played a free kick short from the left side in toward the middle, and the Bronco junior snuck her shot into the bottom left corner. It stopped a shutout streak for UCSD of 399:29.

A lighter moment occurred during the 65th minute. UCSD won a free kick from the left diagonal, and as head coach Brian McManus instructed junior center back Meghan Berry to hit the crossbar, meaning aim high toward the crossbar, the Triton co-captain opted to take the literal meaning and smacked the ball right off the bar.

Reilly's two assists give her five, the rookie remaining atop the team's point chart with 25 from 10 goals and five helpers. She is UCSD's first 10-goal-scorer since former All-American Cassie Callahan hit for 10 in 2012. Martinez now has three assists. O’Laughlin's brace was her second this season, both coming against CPP.

In Pomona, the Tritons will be in search of a record ninth CCAA banner. They were last in the semifinal round in 2012, when they won their eighth in Carson, getting past Sonoma State in the final via penalty-kick tiebreaker following a 1-1 draw.

#TritonsRising

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