UCSD Women’s club soccer faced their season opener against USD this past Saturday. The Triton’s were fresh off of 3 days of practice, but were excited to showcase their new players and ambitions for the upcoming season. With kickoff in the afternoon, and good weather in the forecast, the Triton’s were ready to take the field with optimism and confidence. 

The first half started off slow and defensively, with the Triton’s looking to connect to feet and figure out their approach to the game. Senior captain’s Allie Spong and Grace Taylor controlled the back-line with confidence, and continuously denied the USD offense from having any chances on goal. After some substitutions in the 17 minute mark, the Triton’s looked to ramp up the energy, with multiple chances from corner kicks, as well as through balls. Newbie junior Jada Romero continuously pressed the USD defense with strategic run’s through the back line, while Senior captain Marli Bannai dominated on the right wing. Although the Triton’s went into half-time with a 0-0 score, they were ready to put the game away in the second half. 

UCSD came out strong in the second half, with center forward Mia Fava and left winger Suhana Singh making multiple combination plays. With 20 minutes left to play, Mia Fava found herself outside of the box, where she not only dropped one defender with her skills, but also successfully beat the keeper in a 1v1 to make the score 1-0 Tritons. With the score in their favor, the Triton’s continued to dominate both defensively and in the midfield, keeping USD out of the game completely. In the last 5 minutes of regulation, center back Julia Hagedorn found herself with space to run forward, allowing her to take the opportunity to play in a beautifully weighted ball to sophomore Suhana Singh. Suhana dribbled down the line, cut in, and placed the ball perfectly into the upper right corner of the net for the second goal of the game. Ultimately, the Triton’s came home victorious with a 2-0 win at USD. With this win, the Triton’s are going back to the practice field to prepare for their upcoming tournament in Santa Barbara.