LA JOLLA, Calif. - Three goals down and a player short, the UC San Diego women’s soccer team put a scare in seventh-ranked Cal State Stanislaus in the second half, only to fall to the defending California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) champion Warriors, 4-2, Friday at Triton Soccer Stadium.

With the loss, UCSD drops to 4-5-2 overall and 1-3-1 in the CCAA. Cal State Stanislaus improves to 11-1 overall and 4-1 in league play after a third straight win. The Tritons are now 0-3-1 in their last four regular-season dates with the Warriors, including a 1-0 defeat in the previous meeting in La Jolla in 2012.

The visitors trotted out to almost a surreal 3-0 lead after UCSD had looked the better side in the early going. Sabrina Williamson pounded home a left-footer from distance in the 24th minute after taking a Jade Poon pass. She then had another effort saved by Triton goalie Kelcie Brodsky in the 30th minute, but substitute Mikayla Clifford was first to pounce on the rebound. Clifford’s initial touch let her down, but she still had enough time to collect and poke the ball into the empty net.

The real dagger came in the 38th minute, when Stanislaus was awarded a penalty kick on a foul by Meghan Berry. The redshirt sophomore was adjudged to have been the last defender and preventing a clear scoring chance for the opposition, and thus shown a red card. Katelyn Nebesnick stepped up to convert the spot kick, while UCSD was left to contest the remaining 52-plus minutes with only 10 players.

The fight-back began in the 58th minute for the Tritons, as Kylie Hill found the right corner with her left-footed attempt from the left side of the penalty area. It was her first goal of the year. Izzy Pozurama’s free kick from distance had been deflected out to Hill by a defender, with the Triton senior earning credit for her second assist.

Exquisite combination play in the 70th minute saw the ball move swiftly from the left wing to the right wing through Aimee Ellis, Cassie Callahan (Coronado/Coronado HS), and finally to freshman winger Jordyn McNutt (San Diego/University HS). McNutt lifted a right-footed shot from a tight angle that looped over the Warrior goalkeeper and into the left netting. The goal was McNutt’s team-best fourth, with Callahan and Ellis each picking up assists.

Though the Tritons kept pressing for an equalizer, Stanislaus finally put the result out of doubt via Clifford again in the 84th, with the sophomore tallying her second of the evening and seventh of 2014. Williamson’s long pass down the left flank was latched onto by Poon, with the standout freshman beating her defender to advance toward the end line and provide the cross that was tucked home by Clifford.

Brodsky made five saves in the Triton net. Her best effort arguably came in the 80th minute of a 3-2 game when she denied Nicole Bare. Fellow junior Chelsea Lewandowski came up with five stops of her own for the Warriors.

UCSD actually held a 16-13 advantage in shots taken over the full 90.

After minimal noteworthy activity over the first 17 minutes, UCSD produced the first corner kick and two shots back-to-back by Katie O’Laughlin (Carlsbad/Pacific Ridge School) on a header and Kiera Bocchino, but both were blocked by defenders.

With the score 2-0, the Tritons had a pair of chances through Callahan to get on the board. A nice build-up by Jamie Benedetto and Pozurama led to the first one in the 34th. Less than a minute later, Callahan got her head to the ball. Both were saved.

Triton freshman Anna Nilsson (San Diego/The Preuss School UCSD) made her collegiate debut over the final five-plus minutes, with sophomores Marissa Scheid and Linnea Wikander appearing for the first time in 2014.

UCSD remains in La Jolla to take on Cal State East Bay this Sunday, Oct. 12. Kickoff at Triton Soccer Stadium is set for 12 p.m.

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