UCSD women’s club soccer faced USC in their season opener on October 1st. The Tritons had only a single week of practices leading up to the match, making it a challenging start for the new team. Although the team battled hard, the quick beginning to the fall season ended with an unfortunate 0-1 loss for the Tritons.

The girls began the game with high intensity and held control of the first half. The new team was getting adjusted to playing with each other and working hard to keep possession. UCSD had a few scoring chances created by Adelka Hancova and Sierra Jordan-Huffman’s hard work on the wing. USC had a few close opportunities, but good defensive plays by captain Erika Braun and Marli Bannai and a great save by goalie Grace Taylor kept them off of the board. The Tritons applied high pressure and continued to play hard, but the game remained scoreless after the half.

The second half brought about some very close goal opportunities for the Tritons. The game became more intense and physical as both teams were fighting hard for a goal. A free kick awarded to the Tritons just outside the box was one of the closest chances of the game. Allie Spong took the kick which was headed down by Mia Fava and nearly scored by Daisy Samuelson. Adelka Hancova also made a great run that almost resulted in a goal. Despite the hard work of the whole team, a late goal from USC with only five minutes remaining led to the unlucky 0-1 end result. 

UCSD will use what they learned from the game to prepare for next weekend’s games in the Aztec Cup where they will play against ASU, Utah, and LMU at San Diego State.