Entering Wednesday’s contest against the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), the Highlanders were still on the outside looking in the Big West playoff picture. Despite going on a four-game unbeaten run, the University of California, Riverside (UCR) needed to leave La Jolla with three points. Before the game, the Tritons boasted an impressive 3-0-0 (W-L-D) conference record at Triton Soccer Stadium. The Highlanders had their work cut out for them. Fortunately, UCR escaped the gates quickly.
Just 11 minutes in, the Highlanders capitalized on a cheap turnover by the Tritons. After a heavy touch from UCSD’s senior midfielder, Andrew McGee, sophomore fullback Jackson D’Alessandro pounced on the loose ball. Then, he danced around junior Adam Hillis. As D’Alessandro played it out wide to senior forward Luka Lukic, the rest of the Tritons were slow to get back. Lukic worked the ball onto his left foot and whipped a cross into the box for freshman midfielder Tarek Hamideh. Hamideh squeezed between two Tritons and headed the ball past senior goalkeeper Nolan Premack.
Hamideh’s first collegiate career goal put the Highlanders ahead 1-0 early on. But with almost 80 minutes of soccer left to be played, it was crucial that the Highlanders kept their heads in the game. In last year’s fixture against UCSD, UCR scored two early goals, but allowed the Tritons to respond with five unanswered goals of their own.
This time, the Highlanders did a much better job staying organized defensively. Often dropping into a 5-3-2 shape without the ball, UCR remained compact and made it hard for the Tritons to find any offensive flow. Despite lacking chances and falling behind early, UCSD also kept their cool.
They clearly weren’t rushing to get the equalizer right away. Rather than press UCR’s trio of center backs, their front line sat deep without the ball. When the Highlanders triggered a press, the Tritons were willing to take their time and even pass back to Premack in the build-up phase.
The Highlanders took their 1-0 lead into halftime, but still had a lot more work to do. In the second half, the Tritons developed a sense of urgency. Rather than look for crosses and cutbacks and stretch the Highlanders horizontally like they did in the first half. UCSD was more willing to play the long ball and shoot from outside the box.
However, the Highlanders used a combination of pace and hustle to deal with the long passes and second balls. The UCR backline was also willing to put their bodies on the line and block shots from the Tritons. Almost every shot that did make it through the Highlanders either missed wide of the net or floated over the crossbar.
Although, there was one shaky moment at the 77-minute mark. Freshman forward Kai Oppenheim’s curling strike flew over the head of senior goalkeeper Carlos Gonzalez and bounced off the crossbar and out. The Highlanders breathed a sigh of relief as D’Alessandro cleared away the rebound. Apart from that, UCR’s defensive unit was rock solid and neutralized any threat the Tritons posed.
In the final minutes, head coach Tim Cupello called upon freshman defender Ermias Yohannes to help see out the impending victory. As time ran out for UCSD, the Highlanders leapfrogged the Tritons in the Big West standings and back into the playoff picture.
The good times wouldn’t last, however. In Saturday’s road contest against California State University, Bakersfield, the Highlanders went down 3-0 in the first half in an eventual 4-1 loss. Cupello sent a message to his players by bringing on ten different substitutes during the match. Even replacing Gonzalez with debuting redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Andrew Hermosillo. One can hope it’s the wake-up call UCR needs before their final Big West regular season game against the University of California, Santa Barbara at home on Nov. 2.
