This past Wednesday the UCSD Women’s lacrosse team faced off against their top competitor in the league, CSU San Marcos. The Tritons were unable to secure the victory, as they lost by a scoreline of 13-8. This was a gut-retching loss for the Tritons, as it extinguished their chance to go undefeated for the entire season.

The game started out positively for the Tritons, as they dominated the first half, finishing with an advantage of 3 goals. The players who contributed included Janet Gleason, Nicole Goodwin, Michaela Juels, Audrey Nunez, Danielle Viviani and Jiyoung Yun. The defense was also stellar in the first half as it held San Marcos to just 3 goals, largely benefiting from the outstanding play of goalie, Maria McCavitt-Malvido.

This story did not repeat itself in the second half for the Tritons, as two back to back yellow cards ultimately spelled their downfall. With both Jen DaLuz and Michaela Juels sent off for dangerous play, the Tritons were left two players down! The Cougars immediately capitalized on this advantage, scoring a shocking 10 goals as the Triton defense began to lose momentum.

However difficult a loss is, the Tritons look forward to meeting the Cougars again and attending playoffs as the second seed from their division. The loss was a great wake up call for the Tritons to amp up their level of play, and to better focus on the field.