LA JOLLA, Calif. - Sarah McTigue scored twice, including the game-winning goal in the 86th minute, to lead the UC San Diego women's soccer team past Chico State Saturday, 2-1. With the victory the Tritons advance to the third round of the NCAA Division II Tournament for a Nov. 20 match with the winner of Sunday's contest between Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills.

After Chico State struck at the 22:06 mark for the match's first score, McTigue blasted a long shot from atop the 18 that sailed to the upper left of the net and tied the game 1-1. With the scoreboard even through to halftime and much of the second half, the momentum shifted in favor of UCSD as the regulation time started to dwindle. With Tritons' freshman Hayley Johnson attempting a corner kick from the left side, a scrum in the box ensued. McTigue collected the loose ball and lined a hard shot to the right of the Wildcats' goalkeeper, landing the eventual deciding score.

"I think it helps us prove to ourselves that we're not a young team anymore," UCSD head coach Brian McManus said. "In playoffs, the veteran teams, the experienced teams, are the ones that step up and win it. We definitely got off to a good start, so it's a little confidence booster for us to realize that our youth doesn't matter anymore."

CSUC's season comes to an end at an 8-6-9 mark. Along the way the Wildcats captured the best record in the North Division of the California Collegiate Athletic Association and on a stranger note, broke the NCAA Division II all-time single season record for ties with nine.

The Tritons, guided into the third round by McTigue's first career multi-goal game, will await the results of Sunday's match between Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills. If the top-seeded Golden Eagles of CSULA win, they will host the next two rounds of play, including a Nov. 20 match against UCSD. If CSUDH comes out on top, the second-seeded Tritons will host the Toros to decide the West Region's best. No matter which teams play Friday, the victor will play a Nov. 22 quarterfinal match against the top team in the South Central.

In Saturday's match, the Wildcats got on the scoreboard first off a corner kick restart. A header by CSUC sophomore Kasey Wall was sent toward the center of the box and without any UCSD defenders nearby, freshman Christine Kearney sprinted to the ball and fired a shot over Tritons' goalkeeper Kristin Armstrong from about eight yards out. The score, Kearney's first of her collegiate career, only temporarily quieted the home crowd. Just one minute and 31 second later, McTigue evened the match. Receiving a short pass from the right by freshman Jessica Wi, McTigue sent a high shot from atop the 18 over the right shoulder of CSUC netminder Natalie Bensky.

Back in a stalemate as the match progressed into the second half, both teams edged closer and closer to overtime. The Wildcats, after moving past defending national champion Seattle Pacific Thursday on a penalty kick shootout, appeared to be satisfied with the possibility of extra time but the UCSD attack kept the pressure on. McTigue's score at the 85:17 mark, after collecting a bouncing ball in the box and firing a close range shot past Bensky, broke the deadlock and created a frantic final few minutes. In the end though, the Tritons live to see another weekend of November playoff soccer.