Marissa Morales needed less than four minutes to score the first goal of her college career. Lily Johnson needed another 26 to add hers. Those two breakthroughs put San Diego in front for good Thursday, and Ella Callanan's late finish completed a 3-1 victory at UC Irvine.
The Toreros earned their first road win of the season and consecutive victories for the first time in 2026. Morales opened the scoring at 3:36. UC Irvine's Fiona Shin answered at 9:32, resetting the match before San Diego had fully settled into its early advantage.
Johnson restored the lead at 29:40 from a pass by Ruby Shoots. The goal became the winner, but her night was not finished. With UC Irvine pressing for an equalizer, Johnson supplied Callanan for the insurance goal at 88:20. Both Johnson and Callanan ended with a goal and an assist.
San Diego's first-half control was visible in the quality of its attempts. All six Torero shots before halftime were on target, and the team held 63% of possession. Six first-half corner kicks kept the pressure near UC Irvine's goal until Johnson converted the second lead of the night.
The Anteaters produced more total shots by the end, 10-9, but San Diego retained the edge in shots on target, 7-5, and corners, 8-4. Goalkeeper Chloe Walls stopped four attempts. After Shin's equalizer, the Torero defense kept UC Irvine scoreless for the final 80 minutes.
Walls' four saves filled the space between the early exchange of goals and the late insurance finish. UC Irvine could not turn its 10 attempts into a second equalizer, while San Diego required only three of its seven shots on frame to score. The efficiency was especially valuable on the road, where long stretches without the ball can otherwise undo an early advantage.
That long defensive stretch changed the meaning of Callanan's late goal. It was not a response to mounting damage; it was the release after San Diego absorbed the home team's attempt to turn possession into a second equalizer. Johnson's assist transformed a one-goal closing exercise into a two-goal finish.
The goal sequence also redistributed responsibility. Morales supplied the immediate start, Shoots created the winner, Johnson finished and later assisted, and Callanan closed the game. Four players directly shaped the three scores. That spread matters after an opening month in which opponents can begin to identify a preferred route and force San Diego toward a second option.
Three goals established a season high for the Toreros. Six different players have now scored for the team, a distribution that can make the attack harder to reduce to one matchup. Thursday's two first-time scorers broadened that list while Johnson's pass on the final goal showed she could create after becoming the primary finisher.
San Diego has a week before visiting California Baptist on Sept. 17. The break offers time to reinforce what traveled to Irvine: an immediate attack, a composed answer after conceding and enough defensive patience to make a one-goal edge last. The first road win was built in stages, and the third goal arrived only after the earlier work held.