LA JOLLA, Calif. — Three second-half goals, including the first NCAA goal by Jose Luis Martin Montealegre, propelled No. 16 Utah Valley past the UC San Diego Tritons in a tough road test on Monday night at Triton Soccer Stadium.
UCSD (0-4-2) hung around with the Wolverines (6-0) most of the night, with just one own goal allowed in the 51st minute, but two goals in the final 17 minutes allowed Utah Valley to pull away and get a much-needed cushion against a dangerous Triton side that gave the Wolverine defense some scares, especially in the first half.
With the win, Utah Valley officially secures the best start to a season in program history at 6-0, surpassing the previous best of 5-0 in 2015. The Wolverines also set the program record for longest stretch of consecutive shutouts with six, eclipsing the prior best stretch of five games, set by the 2016 WAC Championship team.
UCSD had the best scoring opportunities of the first half, with Kolby Sessions being forced into three tough saves in less than a minute's time. The Tritons forced Sessions into a save in the 38th minute, which the sophomore shot-stopper sent behind for a corner. A scramble in front of the net on the ensuing corner resulted in Sessions making a quick double save and the Wolverine defense getting a head on a third weak shot to end the threat.
Sessions snuffed out another Triton counter in the 49th minute, making an impressive one-on-one save to prevent any further chances. The save would be Sessions' sixth and final of the night.
The Wolverines got on the board in the 51st minute after Keegan Oyler's low cross off a corner kick took a fortuitous bounce off the leg of a Triton defender and into the back of the net.
Montealegre doubled the lead in the 74th minute after earning a penalty with an impressive solo press and run into the UCSD box. The Spaniard stepped up to take the spot kick and sent the keeper diving the wrong way to double the UVU lead at 2-0.
Moments later, Dan McKay capped off the night with a volley following a scramble in front of the net. Gilles Aurelien lofted in a corner that was partially cleared just outside the six, but McKay was able to send a shot through traffic and find the back of the net.
Utah Valley returns home to UCCU Stadium on Saturday with another tough test against the Santa Clara Broncos. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. MDT, and tickets can be purchased at GoUVU.com/MSOCtix.
