LA JOLLA, Calif. - In a key West Region showdown between previously-undefeated city rivals, the University of California San Diego found the lone goal at 31:00 off the foot of Sam Palano, dispatching Point Loma Nazarene University, 1-0, Wednesday night at Triton Soccer Stadium.

In concluding a season-opening and season-long five-game homestand, UC San Diego improves to 5-0 for the first time since 2008, ninth-year head coach Jon Pascale's first in charge. Point Loma, a member of the Pacific West Conference (PacWest), suffered its first loss, now at 1-1-3.

Both teams came in off of back-to-back shutouts, though each was a win for the Tritons, while the Sea Lions managed a pair of draws. PLNU indeed had tied three straight since an impressive 2-0 home win over Cal State Dominguez Hills, and followed that result up with three ties against solid sides in Cal State LA, Chico State and Colorado Mines.

Palano, a senior striker, found the bottom right corner from the left diagonal inside the penalty area, after sophomore winger Christian Cordell had done the dirty work down the left side, getting near the end line before providing the short cross on the ground that netted the Huntington Beach product his first collegiate assist. For Palano, it was a second goal for the 2016 campaign, and first game-winner.

Cameron McElfresh needed to make just a single save for his second individual clean sheet of the year. It was the 21st of his career, now moving the fifth-year senior within one of tying former All-American Josh Cohen's program record for the NCAA Division II era. Michael Lambert, the PacWest Defender of the Week, had one stop.

The first half featured the statistical oddity of the very first foul not coming until the 35:25 mark, that by UCSD. It was the only foul of the first 45 minutes. Shots were even in the stanza at 4-4, with the Tritons ultimately coming away with a 10-7 edge.

The home side was unable to capitalize on a couple of chances to double its advantage in the second half. Early in the frame, Matt Merrill fed Justice Duerksen, who provided the dangerous left-sided cross, only for Palano to go just wide to the right with the inside of his right foot. Then in the 79th, Nick Palano's left-sided cross found Cordell in the middle, with that effort traveling over the crossbar.

The Tritons dodged literally a last-second bullet to preserve the shutout triumph. A ball over the top from deep right to left reached the feet of senior forward Chris Reingen, and it appeared that he was able to release his shot just before the final horn, only for it to get snuffed out by redshirt sophomore right back Jeff Powers.

Powers, alongside senior Kuba Waligorski and juniors Kyle Panganiban and Nolan Mac across the back, were all magnificent again over the full 90 minutes. Senior Riley Harbour also turned in a 90-minute shift in the center of midfield.

UCSD makes the short trip north this Saturday, Sept. 17, to Irvine, to complete non-conference play at Concordia. Kickoff at Eagles Field is set for an earlier 11 a.m.

Triton Notes: UCSD has 12 goals with one match still to play on the non-conference schedule, after managing just 15 in 18 contests in 2015 ... The Tritons are now 10-1-2 over their last 13 in La Jolla going back to the start of their 2015 campaign.

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