ANN ARBOR, Mich. ? The 14th-ranked UC San Diego women's water polo team faced stiff competition on the first day of the Michigan Kickoff Tournament in Ann Arbor. The Tritons began the day with a loss to 7th-ranked San Jose State by a 9-5 score. The Tritons held their own in the first period, trailing 4-3. UCSD was shutout in the following two quarters as the Spartans pulled away. UCSD's Judy Emaus, a Michigan native, led the way for the Tritons with two scores. In the second game, the Tritons lost to the nation's top-ranked team in UCLA. The Bruins scored seven first-half goals and defeated UCSD 14-5. Janice Aguilar scored twice against UCLA.
UCSD is back in action on the second day of the Michigan Kickoff Tournament on Sunday. The Tritons will face tournament host and 18th-ranked Michigan at 9:10 a.m. UCSD will conclude the tournament that afternoon, facing No. 11 Arizona State at 1:50 p.m.
Against San Jose State, the Tritons were within 4-3 after the first period. SJSU scored two unanswered goals in both the second and third quarters to lead 8-3. UCSD outscored SJSU in the final quarter for the final 9-5 score. In addition to Emaus' two goals, Sydney Gstettenbauer, Stephanie Bocian and Rebecca Gearty scored for UCSD. Both teams drew 12 ejections.
The Tritons started strong against UCLA, holding the nation's top-ranked team to three goals in the first quarter and the Tritons trailed 3-1. UCLA would score nine times in the next two quarters to take a comfortable lead. Aguilar scored two goals for UCSD while Liz Hahn and Stephanie Heinrich also scored.
