🆚 UC San Diego
📆 Thursday, September 4, 2025
⏰ 9 pm CT
🏟️ Triton Soccer Stadium – San Diego, California
📈 LIVE STATS
📺 ESPN+
Houston Christian University heads west to California to take on University of California San Diego on Thursday evening.
The match is the first game away from home for HCU this season and the first home game of the campaign for UCSD. Along with those firsts, the clash with the Tritons is the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
HCU defeated visiting Gonzaga University 1-0 on Sunday evening at Houston Sports Park in its most recent time out, as
Ryan Okerayi notched the game-winner with just over 10 minutes to play. The Huskies bounced back from a tough loss on Thursday night to finish off a chaotic home stretch that saw the season opener canceled and the finale moved off campus due to weather.
After 70 minutes of tough defense by both sides, the Huskies got its deserved breakthrough. In the 80th minute, the Huskies earned a free kick just in front of their own bench.
Ben Thirkill curled in a long entry that found
Joby Reid just outside the goal box for a header that trickled down into traffic. The ball found the left foot of Okerayi who blasted it past the outstretched mitts of the Zags keeper to break the scoring ice and nudge HCU out front one-nil.
HCU posted its third straight match with double-figure shots, cranking out 13 with five on goal. Okerayi had three shots, two on target as well as his second tally of the season.
Joby Reid picked up his third assist of the season while Thirkill notched his first career helper.
Alex Aitken, the school's leader in career saves, registered four on the back end of a staunch team defensive showing for his second clean sheet in three outings.
Okerayi leads the Huskies with two goals.
Ron Pressler,
Ricardo Garcia and
D'Alessandro Herrera each have one, while
Joby Reid has three assists in his first three games. Aitken has allowed just the one goal and is averaging 3.7 saves per game.
Thursday will mark the 46th game all-time for HCU vs. a California opponent, a number aided by HCU's 10-year affiliate membership in the WAC. The Huskies joined the Ohio Valley Conference for its inaugural season of soccer in 2023, also as an affiliate. HCU last played in California in 2023 when it fell at University of the Pacific 3-0 in Stockton. That loss was avenged in the season opener this year with a 4-0 win at Sorrels Field in Houston, the most recent outing against a team from the Golden State.
Both schools have played a trio of matches, with HCU sporting a 2-1 record out of the gate while UC-San Diego is 0-2-1 thus far.
HCU holds wins over WCC members Pacific and Gonzaga that sandwich a 1-0 loss to UMass Lowell, the only goal scored against the Huskies through the first three.
A tough opening road stretch has seen UCSD drop two games in Durham, North Carolina, first to Furman and then at No. 15 ranked Duke. The Tritons earned a draw at No. 17 Cal on Sunday afternoon.
Joe Pascale is now in his 18th season at the helm of the Tritons, having coached over 300 matches at the school.
Evan Wellerstein, a 6-4 sophomore defender, has the lone goal for the Tritons through the first three games. He had two goals while playing a team-high 1615 minutes in 2024. Kai Oppenheim is the leading returning scorer from a year ago, as the sophomore forward had three goals and two assists in his rookie season.
Nolan Premack returns between the pipes for his senior season, and has posted 17 saves while facing 60 shots in the first three contests of the year. He was 4-9-5 in goal last year.
The Huskies will return home on Sunday evening for their fourth tilt at Sorrels Field in the first handful of matches to begin the slate. HCU will face off with longtime rival Oral Roberts marking the 16th meeting all-time with the Eagles. ORU holds a slim 6-5-4 advantage in the all-time series.
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