UCSD goes 1-1-1 in their first Aztec cup in 2 years

The Tritons crushed Utah State in their first game. After conceding a goal because of a slight miscommunication, UCSD went on to score 5 unanswered resulting in a 5-1 W. Luca Scotzniovsky led the team with 2 goals as Utah State struggled to keep pace with the UCSD attack. Captain Micheal Boychuk also found the back of the net and a Utah State own goal finished off the first half 4-1. The Tritons slowed down as Zachary Boender scored the only goal for either team in the second half. The Tritons ended their first of 2 Saturday games in high spirits after a huge victory.  

Looking to carry their winning momentum into the second game of the day, UCSD took on GCU Purple. The team went down 0-1 after a GCU free-kick goal finished off a sloppy first half as UCSD struggled to find their rhythm on offense. After halftime, the two teams battled through a standstill until sophomore Will Ross drew a penalty kick while weaving through GCU defenders. With excellent composure, Jonny LeVine converted the penalty as the Tritons leveled the game to 1-1. Both teams went back and forth but neither could manage to score for the rest of the game, resulting in a 1-1 draw.

A win and a draw were enough to get the Tritons through to the semis, where they sadly lost 0-1 to a polished UC Davis team. Unfortunately, UCSD’s faulty chemistry struck again in the middle of the first half as Davis won the ball off of the Tritons and placed a shot just out of goalkeeper Trevor Fried’s reach. Although UCSD’s play improved, Davis was able to fend off the Triton attack where a scoreless second half capped the game off 0-1.  

Although going 1-1-1, the Tritons walked away with a ton of opportunity for growth ahead of league play this coming weekend.