CHICO, Calif. – Visiting UC San Diego capitalized on a pair of foul calls with goals and put the game away with another late for a 3-0 victory at Chico State Sunday. Alexia Zatarain scored on a free kick from about 23 yards out, Natasha Belak-Berger converted on a penalty kick, and Alexa-Rae Navarro notched her first goal of the season on a rebound to lift the Tritons to victory.

UC San Diego improved to 11-2-1 overall and 8-2-0 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with the win. Jessica McGovern earned the shutout, though she faced just three shuts and was never forced to make a save.

Chico State, which has now dropped three straight and five of its last seven matches, fell to 6-7-2 overall and 2-5-2 in the CCAA.

The Tritons capitalized on their first shot of the match, Zatarain’s well-placed blast from 23 yards that snuck underneath the crossbar exactly six minutes in. The Wildcats were whistled for a handball, resulting in UC San Diego’s free kick.

Chico State’s offense was unable to solve the back of UC San Diego’s defense in the first half. The Wildcats possessed the ball well going forward between midfield and the penalty box, but rarely managed to connect on a final pass or beat a final defender to put the Tritons in danger.

The Wildcats earned five corner kicks and got off a pair of shots in the first 10 minutes of the second half, but when they came up empty on the scoreboard, UC San Diego again exerted control over the match. Lindsay Mills powered her way past a pair of Chico State defenders in the box in the 67th minute before drawing a foul that led to Belak-Berger’s successful penalty kick.

The Tritons salted the match away in the 84th minute when Shelby Wong’s shot trickled away from Wildcats goalkeeper Natalie Bensky and Navarro raced in to knock it into the back of the net.
 
The Wildcats wrap up their 2008 home schedule next weekend when they face Cal State Monterey Bay Friday at 4:30 p.m. and San Francisco State Sunday at 11:30 a.m.

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