LA JOLLA, Calif. - After winning its last four contests and seven of its last eight, the UC San Diego women's soccer team will host Western Washington Thursday at 7 p.m. in a non-conference matchup with ranking ramifications in the NCAA Division II West Region.
The Tritons, reappearing in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America top-25 poll, are No. 14 nationally and No. 2 in the West Region with an overall record of 9-2 while going 7-2 in California Collegiate Athletic Association play. WWU, ranked sixth in the region, holds a record of 6-3-2 overall and 4-1-1 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action.
USCD posted home victories this past weekend against Sonoma State, 1-0, and Humboldt State, 3-1. The offense was firing on all cylinders Sunday with
Hayley Johnson,
Gabi Hernandez and
Courtney Capobianco scoring goals against HSU. Before the Lumberjacks converted a penalty kick Sunday in the 77th minute, Tritons' sophomore goalkeeper
Kristin Armstrong had kept her opponents scoreless for the previous 354 minutes.
The Vikings of WWU recently experienced the highs and lows of conference play. After defeating the No. 1 ranked, defending national champion and previously unbeaten Seattle Pacific on Saturday, the Vikings were defeated 2-1 on the road to St. Martin's the day after. The loss ended WWU's 21-game league unbeaten streak. Junior forward Emily Frankland has led the Vikings on offense with five goals and one assist.
The Tritons own a 3-0-0 advantage in the all-time series between the two squads, including a 2-1 overtime victory at WWU in the second match of the 2008 season.
UCSD closes out its homestand with a 2:30 p.m. match Sunday against Cal State East Bay. After a slow start the Pioneers have won two of their last three matches to improve their record to 3-7-3 overall and 2-5-2 in CCAA play. Three weeks ago the Tritons picked up a 3-1 road win over CSUEB, the first-ever meeting between the two squads, as freshman midfielder Jessica Wi scored twice and junior midfielder Remy Hitt added an insurance goal.
