After an incredible performance against CSUN, the Tritons would work to replicate the same performance, but this time against UC Riverside. With two games to go until playoff seedings get decided, UCSD currently sit within the top 4 in the league, but a loss or a draw could easily make them fall out of playoff contention. Riverside on the other hand, has been struggling immensely and their hopes of obtaining a playoff may have already been marked off. To put into a simple perspective, UCSD has everything to lose heading into the match.

This match would also be the last official home game of the year, so seniors Isaac Yang, Trevor Elder, Paul Jasper, Cade Krawiec and Will Ross would leave it all out on the pitch. As soon as the game kicked off, it could be noticed that the seniors were going to live up to the moment and play the game of their lives. The Tritons quickly established their dominance as they were dominating the midfield. It seemed like UCR were running in circles for majority of the half as they could not get a single touch on the ball. It did not take long for UCSD to find the back of the net as Alejandro Covarrubias would find himself in the final third, and utilizing his impeccable passing skills, he found Paul Jasper in the box, who as always, found the back of the net. It was expected that PJ would do his iconic “Siuuu” celebration, but he was extremely locked in that he simply ran back to the center circle. It seemed like the team fed off of this energy as more and more chances were being created. The Tritons were attacking from every angle and UC Riverside simply did not have any response. UCR tried to find the spaces in behind, but Isaac Yang and Cade Krawiec continued to intercept every pass. From that moment on, UC San Diego knew that this game was going to be a bloodbath. As a result, a similar attack that led to first goal occurred, once again, but this time it was Trevor Elder who produced a classy finish, by simply passing the ball into the bottom right corner. The composure that was seen from him while giving UCSD a 2-0 lead was extraneous, it was very strange to witness such a cold-blooded finish. The half would end with UCSD leading 2-0.

Not much was said at halftime as the team was playing amazingly, and the players knew that they had to score more goals to help their goal differential in the league standings. UC Riverside didn’t make any tactical changes as they simply could not figure out how to stop the vicious attack from the Tritons nor could they break through the pressure that UCSD was imposing on them. This led to a free kick that was approximately 30 yards out. Freshman Arya Abolmaali would pickup the ball and have the courage to take the set piece, after noticing that the Riverside keeper was not the tallest, Arya struck the ball with incredible power and curve towards the far post. The goalkeeper would do his best to try to save the shot, but it was merely impossible as Arya hit it to perfection and extended the lead 3-0. Shortly after, Paul Jasper would find himself in the box, and he did not hesitate to put the ball away. However, this time he did hit his iconic celebration and the rest of the team celebrated with him. 10 minutes were left in the game, and UCSD knew that they had the game in the bag, so they simply held onto the ball and ran the clock down. Yet, Lucas Venetoulias would end up finding David Contreras in behind and he would find the back of the net. With a scoreline of 5-0, UCSD was making sure that their main priority was to keep a clean sheet. Isaac and Cade were doing exactly that, for the full 90 minutes they played incredible defense. 

The game would finally end and UCSD would celebrate their 5-0 victory that was dedicated towards the seniors who have given their maximum commitment to UCSD Men’s Club Soccer. Their incredible efforts were recognized by the whole team, and it is evident that they set quite the example for the younger players. The Tritons will now work to improve on this performance as their final league match will be against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, which will ultimately be the deciding factor on whether or not UCSD will play in the WCSA playoffs.