CA-10: Collegiate Athletes Inspire SCORES Students On and Off the Soccer Field

When the UCSD women's soccer team traveled to play rival Cal State Dominguez Hills on Friday night, their game did a lot more than just advance their position in the California Collegiate Athletic Association; it inspired a younger generation of soccer players from the non-profit organization America SCORES LA. In the stands there were two girls teams from Charnock Road Elementary watching and lending their support. The third through fifth graders traveled together from their school on a bus and on the way they wrote UCSD on their arms and made up several unique cheers that would be heard by all later in the evening.

After the scoreless first half, the poet-athletes talked about teamwork and learned to trust and rely on each other when they participated in team building challenge games in the stands. When the second half started, the UCSD team showed the girls just what you can accomplish by working together on the field when Sarah McTigue netted a goal off of a cross from Annie Wethe. After Dominguez tied the game with less than 20 minutes to go, the girls knew it would take determination to come back. The players proved their character when Lindsay Mills came off of the bench to score the game winner that sent the SCORES fans into a cheering rage.

The biggest highlight of the night came after the game when the 18 poet-athletes got to go on the field and meet the UCSD players. They were each given a UCSD magnet and a poster to get signed. The Triton athletes went above and beyond when interacting with the girls and telling them about their experience both as an athlete and a student. We want to thank the UCSD women's soccer team and coaches, especially Kristin Jones and captain Lisa Bradley, for organizing this event. All of the UCSD players made a generous donation to the America SCORES LA program to make this night possible and beyond that, they made a strong impression on the girls they met. Some of the reactions on the bus ride home were, "I can't believe they were so nice!" and "I can't wait until I get to go to UCSD!"