The Tritons took on Cal Poly Pomona on their home turf, hoping to bounce back from what was a disappointing loss last weekend against city rivals SDSU. UCSD had previously played against Pomona in last quarter’s Aztec Cup, and despite playing poorly, UCSD managed to squeak out a 2-1 victory late. The Tritons continued using the more attacking 3-4-3 formation they had been using since the start of the calendar year.

The Tritons began with immense pace and tenacity, establishing possession for most of the opening exchanges. UCSD particularly found an outlet on the far-right side through Arya Abolmaali, who managed to find himself in numerous one-vs-one situations. He got past the Pomona defense a couple of times, and in one such situation, Abolmaali beat his man cleverly and put in a good cross to the center of the box where Nick Shor arrived perfectly to finish off the play, giving the Tritons a 1-0 lead. With their foot still very much on the gas pedal, UCSD began breaking down Pomona on the opposite side. Not long after the Triton’s first, the ball fell kindly for Jake Honma inside the penalty area with just the goalkeeper to beat. He easily found the far post and doubled the Tritons’ lead. The Tritons continued their onslaught and kept coming at the Pomona backline. A couple of corner kick attempts later and the inevitable would happen. Antonio Lopez placed a looping back post cross perfectly on David Contreras’ forehead to put it past the Pomona keeper and give the Tritons a three-goal advantage after 25 minutes. The 3-0 scoreline held until halftime. 

The Tritons came back out rather confident but lacked the control and focus on the ball that they displayed in the first half. A short lapse of focus led to an early second half goal for Pomona to give them a needed second wind and make it 3-1. The energy of the match picked up and Pomona gave UCSD a few close scares, but the Tritons quickly regained their composure and re-establish their grasp on the game. A good opportunity broke for Nick Shor where he outstretched his leg to just barely tip the ball before the defender arrived. The defender stepped on Shor and the ref called a foul, awarding UCSD a penalty. Jaydon Galindo Lovell stepped up to take it but an excellent save kept the score at 3-1. 

The Tritons closed out the match to a final score of 3-1 but with bright signs of a team that could’ve capitalized even more on their opportunities. The Tritons played an overall composed and collected match which saw them comfortably claiming the victory over Cal Poly Pomona, and they go into their top of the table clash against UCLA with confidence that they can avenge their loss to UCLA in the semifinals of Aztec Cup in October.