On Sunday, October 17, UCSD women’s club soccer took on local rival University of San Diego in their first home game. It was gorgeous soccer weather and although UCSD had played a game the day before, they came out strong and aggressive, working hard to win the ball and attack. The first half was dominated by UCSD, who connected quick passes and outworked USD. On defensive lockdown, starting keeper Dahlia Scher and starting defenders Allie Spong, Erika Braun, Risa Saulino, and Michaela Selby helped UCSD maintain the majority of the possession, stopping all attacks on goal and facilitating a possession-based style out of the back. The first half ended with a score of 0-0 and few shots from both teams.

In the second half, UCSD came out ready to work hard. It was an exciting half, with many close chances by UCSD and a few small attacks from USD. During a UCSD corner kick, center forward Daisy Samuelson slotted the ball to the back post, where UCSD scuffled amidst defenders to get a shot off. Then right defender Risa Saulino connected with the ball, sending a shot to the lower-left corner of the goal, where it was blocked by a USD defender in a near-miss save. Another close opportunity came after a beautiful free-kick from Erika Braun just outside the 18-yard box. The leftie crossed the ball from the right side of the field between the box and the sideline, curving it around for a back-post run. Unfortunately, UCSD could not capitalize off of this kick and the second half finished with a score of 0-0. The game was a fantastic first home game, showing some strong foundations of grit and hard work that UCSD will continue to build on during their next game on Friday, October 22, visiting CSU Long Beach.