SAN DIEGO – A late winner by
Samy Kanaan helped the San Diego men's soccer program (6-2-1, 0-0-0 WCC) earn a 2-1 victory over UC San Diego (1-5-2, 0-0-0 Big West on Wednesday night at Torero Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The game opened with a flurry of shots from the visitors, who tallied the first six shots of the game in the opening 10 minutes.
- Nevertheless, the Toreros bided their time and struck when the moment was right.
- Ethan Warne would win a ball on the sideline and delivered a low cross into the box, where Steven Ramirez tapped it to Mason Tunbridge.
- Tunbridge dribbled in tight and chipped the goalkeeper to give San Diego a 1-0 lead on their first shot of the half in the 16th minute.
- The remainder of the half remained cagey, as the two sides were limited in their chances and the Toreros maintained the lead at halftime.
- Goalkeeper Luis Ludosan had to make several saves early in the second half, with three in the first 13 minutes.
- However, the Tritons finally struck for a goal, as Inaki Iribarren headed in a shot past Ludosan in the 61st minute to tie the game.
- The Toreros turned up the heat following the goal, by putting together stronger possession and it would ultimately pay off.
- Oliver Rhoades delivered a through ball on the ground to Kevin Pena, who received the ball near the touch line and flicked it back to Kanaan.
- Kanaan laced a shot in tight, near post, to beat the Tritons goalkeeper and give San Diego a 2-1 lead in the 75th minute.
- The Tritons battled for an equalizer, but Ludosan was up to the task, making a diving save to his left on Brian Arens shot late in the game to secure the victory.
TORERO TIDBITS
- Ludosan made a season-high eight saves in the win, just one shy of a personal best. It's the most in a game by a Torero goalkeeper since Marley Mascarenas had 10 against Gonzaga on Apr. 3, 2021.
- Tunbridge became the first Torero to 10 points this season. Just him and Alex Churness reached the mark last season.
- San Diego improved to 6-0 this season when scoring two or more goals.
NEXT UP
The Toreros will head out for another brief road trip, traveling to Cal State Fullerton for a 7:30 p.m., game on Sunday. The game will be streamed via ESPN Plus.
To stay up to date with Toreros men's soccer, follow the team on Instagram & Twitter by searching "USDmsoccer".