Women’s soccer’s four-game win streak was snapped Friday afternoon, after the Broncos fell 1-0 to the No. 2 ranked UC San Diego on the road.
The loss left the Broncos with a 5-3-0 overall record and 1-1-0 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) conference.
“I think our effort was there. Our girls worked really hard. I think it was one of those learning experiences for us against a very good team,” head coach Jay Mason said. “We have to come into the game with the mindset that we are going to stick to our game plan and play our style of play and that when the game gets difficult, we are going to find solutions within it.
(Hector Amezquita | The Poly Post)
“For us, it was an opportunity to see how we respond against arguably one of the best teams in the country. So I was proud of our grit; I thought the girls worked really hard. And if you ask the girls, they’ll probably tell you it was not their best game as far as the confidence they might have had. I think some games could kind of mentally psych you out a little bit. I think the occasion might have taken that confidence away.”
The Tritons outshot the Broncos with 12 shots, two of which were on target, as the Broncos only had four shots and only one on target.
During the first 15 minutes of the match, both teams struggled to put up any shots. The Broncos had their first shot 20 minutes into the match after junior midfielder Jessica Llamas took a shot that went out right of the goal.
Three minutes later, with 23 minutes and 40 seconds on the clock, the Tritons scored the only goal of the match.
For the remainder of the first half, the Broncos continued struggling offensively and did not put up any shots.
The Tritons, on the other hand, finished the half with three more shots, two of which came in the final two minutes.
“(All) credit to them. I think they did a good job in taking away what we have been doing well up to this point. They did a good job of taking away the way we play, which forced us to play differently in the second half,” Mason said.
Coming into the second half, the Broncos looked to break through the Triton defense with a shot less than a minute into the second half.
The shot came from junior midfielder Alyssa Carthan, but unfortunately the Tritons’ goalkeeper Angelica Ramos blocked it.
Two minutes later, the Tritons responded with a shot of their own but Bronco sophomore goalkeeper Sydney Williams was able to deny their second goal.
The Broncos would have another shot 10 minutes later when senior forward Shayna Larson shot, but went just out above the Tritons’ goal.
“I think I played fairly well, because I came on the field and told myself I was going to raise the level,” Larson said. “And I think I accomplished that just by bringing in the intensity and leading by example by going in and pressing and having a lot of energy against their back line.”
Despite the Broncos attempts for a comeback, the Tritons continued looking for a second goal with back-to-back shots from Christina Oddone but their attempts failed. As the minutes went by, the Broncos were unable to put up any shots and didn’t have a shot for the remainder of the game.
On Sunday, the Broncos defeated the Cal State San Marcos Cougars 2-0.
Sixteen minutes into the first half, junior forward Taylor Scott broke open the scoring for the Broncos.
Scott received a pass from sophomore forward/midfielder Allyssa Larkin before blasting it into the back of the net.
This marked Scott’s sixth goal of the season.
The Broncos expanded their lead in the second half when junior defender Taylor Rasmussen scored off an assist from senior forward/midfielder Amanda Duran .
After Sunday’s win, the Broncos overall record is 6-3-0, while their conference record is 2-1-0.
The Broncos will be back in action on the road, Friday, Oct. 11, versus Chico State and Sunday, Oct. 13, when they visit Stanislaus State.