SAN FRANCISCO — Despite a strong effort, the San Francisco State women's soccer team fell 1-0 to the top team in NCAA Division II, UC San Diego, on Sunday at Cox Stadium.

With the loss, UCSD (10-1-1/5-1-0 CCAA) moves into third place with 15 points while San Francisco State (6-5-1/4-3-1 CCAA) slips to fifth place with 13 points.

UCSD wore down a shorthanded Gators squad, which was without starter Ana Williams and the team's leading goal scorer, Tami Kwong. The Gators were outshot 21-9, including 10-1 in the second half, though the Gators did place seven of those on frame. UCSD also held an 8-5 corner kick advantage.

First Half

The top-ranked Tritons fired off five shots before the Gators took their first attempt in the 14th minute. Madison Messier lined up a shot from about 10 yards above the box but her shot skimmed just high. UC San Diego threatened in the 19th minute with four connected passes that resulted in a point-blank shot for Megumi Barber that Nicki Rucki dropped to her knees to save. A misplayed Tritons ball in the 27th minute led to a Gators corner kick but Janessa Staab's shot from inside the circle was saved. UCSD gained the advantage in the 34th minute with Marissa Ray's first goal of the season. She dribbled through the defense on the right side of the box and finished the right-footed shot to the far post. Niko Baila, Angie Gonzalez, Emily Kaleal, Madison Messier, and Marriah Perez all had shots on goal in the final four minutes of the half but Angelica Ramos stopped all five attempts.
 

Second Half

In the 56th minute, UCSD's Maddy Samilo found herself in front of a wide-open goal all alone but rushed a shot wide. Less than a minute later, the Tritons earned a corner kick a minute later but Christina Oddone's header went over the crossbar. The Tritons kept the pressure on Rucki, who made seven saves in the second half and finished the match with 10, a new career-high.
 

That's 7️⃣ saves so far for @nicki_rucki, keeping the Gators in it vs. top-ranked @UCSDtritons. pic.twitter.com/zmPYMAvppE

— SF State Women's Soccer (@SFState_WSOC) October 7, 2018

Up Next

The Gators hit the road for their next two matches at Cal State Monterey Bay on October 12 and at Cal State East Bay on October 14. Live stats will be available at at sfstategators.com and in-game updates will be available on Twitter at @sfstate_wsoc.