SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The 17th-ranked UC San Diego women's water polo team earned a pair of Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) victories Saturday afternoon at the Bronco Invite, hosted by Santa Clara.
UCSD (16-12, 4-0) opened play with an 11-5 victory over Colorado State, then earned a 14-5 win against Sonoma State to close out the afternoon.
Junior Sarah Lizotte scored a team-high seven goals, while seven others added one or more.
Freshman goalie Courtney Miller tallied 20 saves in eight quarters of play as the Tritons' last line of defense.
UCSD showed a balanced offense throughout, outscoring each opponent by one or more goals in six out of the eight quarters.
In the day's opener with Colorado State, UCSD posted three goals in both the first and second quarters to take a 6-3 lead at half time.
The Triton defense was just as strong, finishing the game with 14 steals as a team. UCSD held the Rams scoreless in the first and allowed just one goal in each of the third and fourth quarters.
CSU made a small run through the second quarter, matching the Tritons goal for goal with three apiece.
The CSU run was not nearly enough as the Tritons answered back with four goals in the third to go up by six, 10-4, entering the final eight minutes of play.
In game two, UCSD continued its strong pressure on both ends of the pool, posting a 5-1 lead at the end of the first quarter.
After matching each other with two goals in the second frame, the Tritons outscored Sonoma State 7-2 over the second half, holding the Seawolves scoreless in the third.
UCSD continues tournament play Sunday, April 7 with conference games against Cal State Monterey Bay (11:40 a.m.) and Cal State East Bay (2:40 p.m.).
Game One: UC SAN DIEGO 11 COLORADO STATE 5
UCSD 3 – 3 – 4 – 1 = 11
CSU 0 – 3 – 1 – 1 = 5
UCSD Goals: Melissa Bartow 2, Alexis Wieseler 2, Julia Kirkland 2, Sarah Lizotte 3, Leah Gonzales 2
CSU Goals: Shelby Schaefer 3, Ariel Arcidiacono 2
UCSD Saves: Courtney Miller 11
CSU Saves: Melissa Fisher 3
Game Two: UC SAN DIEGO 14 SONOMA STATE 5
UCSD 5 – 2 – 2 – 5 = 14
SSU 1 – 2 – 0 – 2 = 5
UCSD Goals: Rachel Brooks 2, Melissa Bartow, Alexis Wieseler, Karen Henry, Julia Kirkland 2, Sarah Lizotte 4, Leah Gonzales 2, Laurel Kistler
SSU Goals: Brittany Hummel, Jessica Stansfield, Colette Reid 2, Jessica Becker
UCSD Saves: Courtney Miller 9
-- UCSDtritons.com --
