LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The No. 17 UC San Diego women's water polo team, led by a four-goal effort from junior Sydney Gstettenbauer, pulled off an impressive 9-7 road upset of No. 12 Loyola Marymount Saturday.
The win, raising UCSD's record to 16-16, could not have come at more of an important time with the Western Water Polo Association championships ? April 25-27 - just around the corner and seeding yet to be announced.
Saturday's game featured a seesaw first quarter, as the two teams worked back into a tie score on three different occasions before LMU tossed in a goal with just one second remaining in the period to take a 4-3 lead.
The two offenses settled down in the second quarter as the Tritons and Lions traded scores, giving LMU a 5-4 advantage heading into halftime.
UCSD's impressive third period performance proved to be the deciding factor as the Tritons outscored the Lions 3-0 in that span. Three different UCSD players, Nicole Hermann, Stephanie Bocian and Gstettenbauer, tossed in goals during that span. Gstettenbauer's score came with three seconds left in the quarter.
Gstettenbauer opened up the last period with her fourth and final goal to give the Tritons an 8-5 lead. UCSD goalkeeper Kim Hockett held tough, collecting nine saves over the game's 32 minutes, and carried the team to a 9-7 victory.
The Tritons will return to Canyonview Pool for their final home match of the season on Thursday, April 17, a contest against Cal Baptist starting at 7 p.m. A Senior Day presentation will occur prior to the match's opening sprint.
