9/28/25 - Bright Debuts, Tough Loss: Tritons Slip to Pomona
The Tritons and Cal Poly Pomona lined up for the men’s club soccer season opener at Muir Field. At 2:00 PM sharp, Pomona kicked off the match. The early stages of the game were somewhat chaotic, with Pomona attempting to break lines with long balls and UCSD struggling to hold the ball and set the pace of the game. The game was pretty equal for the first couple of minutes, with both teams having chances to scratch the scoreboard under their name. Towards the end of the first half, Jake Honma drove down the left wing leaving numerous adversaries behind before sending in a pass to Pedro Teixeira where he was left alone to finish the play and set UCSD a goal ahead. Right before the end of the same half an unfortunate collision brought Arush Bisht to the ground later to find out it resulted in a minor concussion in the player’s debut with the Tritons.
Early on in the second half, UCSD had the game under control. While some opportunities threatened UCSD’s goal, their defense stood its ground and protected the lead. About a third into the second half, an unluckily angled clearance proposed a dangerous run from Pomona towards UCSD’s goal which was evaded through a tactical foul near the edge of the box. Pomona took advantage of this distance and shot a well angled free kick which, while the UCSD goalkeeper got the tips of his fingers on, hit the back of the Tritons' net. Not too much time after as heat was rising between the two teams, Pomona had a solid play on the left wing which was not met by any of their players in the box, but when UCSD thought all danger was surpassed a penalty was awarded to Pomona. As it turns out, the referee believed to have seen an overly aggressive defensive play from UCSD’s center back inside the box. Heartbreakingly for the Tritons this penalty ended in their lead being turned upside down and Pomona now leading 2-1. The game now coming to an end, UCSD attempted all they could with multiple big chances threatening Pomona’s backline but none of them were fortunate enough to recover from the earlier stages of the game and place a point in the league table.
In the end, UC San Diego started the season with an unfortunate loss at home but many bright moments were seen in this game. This was the debut of many of the players on the team and they all showed a wonderful team spirit giving everything on the pitch, as proven by soon to be back Arush Bisht. Overall, a heartbreaking turn of events during the game but some very exciting plays bring enthusiasm to UCSD for what is to come of the season.
