LA JOLLA, Calif. – Two first half goals by UC San Diego proved to be the difference maker in the Saints' 2-1 road loss as SMU wrapped up their week-long trip to California.
 
The Tritons (4-0-0) struck early on the Saints (1-4-0), scoring in the 22nd minute and once again right before halftime in the 42nd minute. The second half, the Saints created many more offensive opportunities, including a goal from Sebastian Navarro in the 55th minute to cut the score to one. The Tritons' defense managed to prevent the equalizer and survive the final 34 minutes.
 
The first half action consisted of mostly UC San Diego offensive pressure, recording eight shots and two goals. The Saints managed three attempts, but all three missed wide of the net. Alexis Lopez made the first attempt, followed by Brandon Madsen and then Navarro in the 11th, 19th and 28th minute respectively.
 
In the second half, the Saints began to find their rhythm on offense, connecting for five shots, four of which landed on target, and highlighted by Navarro's first goal. In the 55th minute, Navarro found space in the box for header to the back post. Navarro was assisted by Madsen and Stephen Todd Murray JR. The Saints continued to pressure the defense and force the game-tying goal, with chances for Navarro and Madsen; however, the Tritons' defense bent but did not break, holding on for a 2-1 victory.

"The great thing about playing quality teams as we have this season, is to realize how close you are to taking the next step competitively," said head coach Rob Walker. "We had great performances today from our goalkeeper Griffin Small, who made a couple key saves in the second half to keep things close. Brandon Madsen was stellar upfront, and our midfield of Nick Phillips and Sebastian Navarro were solid. A bright spot too was our center back pairing of Collin LaBranche and Jose Marquez was solid, especially in the second half."
 
Navarro led the team with three shots, with Madsen adding two and Lopez, Collin LaBranche and Will Eldred each managing one. Out of the eight shots for the Saints, four landed on goal, with three being saved. Griffin Small faced 15 shots on the day, making three saves and allowed both goals.

The match against UC San Diego concludes the Saints' week-long trip to California, that started with a win over Cal State Dominguez Hills last Thursday. SMU then traveled to Cal State San Marcos, ending with a 2-1 loss, before closing out against the Tritons. 

"To have played three games in five days against the level of competition we've seen here is a real tribute to the potential that our guys have," stated Walker. "We have one more game on Thursday against Hawaii at Hilo and then it's on to play some great teams in conference."
 
The Saints return home for their first home match of the 2018 season on Thursday against Hawaii at Hilo. The match is set to begin at 3:00 p.m. with live stats and video available on smusaints.com for free.