Macias Nets Game-Winner in 68th on Sophomore Day

On sophomore day, it was sophomore Christiana Macias who scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory over Palomar. Goalkeeper Ximena Flores had six saves to help the Knights earn their fourth shutout of the season.

The Knights concluded the regular season with an 8-8-2 overall record and a 7-7-2 mark in the PCAC. It's the first time since 2021 (11-5-3, 10-4-2 PCAC) that they have finished with a win percentage of .500 or better.

San Diego City had trouble creating offense in the first half and were essentially bunkered in on defense for most of it. Palomar (11-4-5, 9-3-4 PCAC) took five shots with three on target, but Flores was positioned well on her three first-half saves and the Knights were able to keep the game scoreless after 45 minutes. 

The Knights came out of the halftime break with a new energy and became the aggressors. After only taking three shots in the first half, the Knights fired off seven in the second half.

Their first great chance came less than two minutes into the second half when Alisson Tavarez' header in front of the net bounced off the ground and over the crossbar. 

A minute later Grecia Lopez' shot from 15 yards out was saved by Palomar's goalkeeper. 

The Knights thought they had scored in the 54th minute when Juliette Salgado tapped in a loose ball after a free kick, but the assistant referee's flag went up indicating Salgado was offside. 

City kepts pushing forward and their persistence finally paid off in the 68th minute. 

Salgado got to a loose ball following a free kick and sent it towards the box where Macias was making a run. Macias beat a defender and the goalkeeper to the ball and, after a slight deflection, turned to gather ball and shot it past Palomar's final defender and into the back of the net for what turned out to be the game-winner.

The Knights stayed aggressive on offense and looked for an insurance goal, and although it never came, their defense held strong for the final 22 minutes to preserve the win over the 3rd-place Comets. 

San Diego City won its last two games and went 4-1-2 in its final seven games.