No. 20 UCSD Finishes Eighth at NCAA Championship After 13-8 Loss to No. 5 Hawai'i

STANFORD, Calif. – The No. 20 UC San Diego women's water polo team took eighth place at the 2015 National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship Sunday at Avery Aquatic Center. The Tritons suffered a 13-8 loss to No. 5 Hawai'i in the seventh place match.

The Tritons were led on offense by Lauren Boyer who recorded her fifth hat trick of the season. With the loss, UCSD finishes the season 19-21 overall while Hawai'i ends the year at 19-10.

The Tritons got off to a quick start on Sunday scoring five goals in the first quarter. After junior Laurel Kistler won the sprint, Boyer drew an ordinary foul allowing her to score on the opening possession. UCSD's offense wasn't the only highlight of the opening frame. On Hawai'i's first possession of the match, the Rainbow Wahine drew a penalty. But junior goalkeeper Courtney Miller showed off her skills and knocked down the penalty shot.

Gabi Dias tied the match at one apiece with a backhand goal but the Tritons kept firing shots past Hawai'i goalkeeper Sarah Logan. Kistler retook the lead for the Tritons after scoring a cross cage goal on a man up situation drawn by Boyer. The Honolulu, Hawaii product finished the day with four ejections drawn.

After scoring with 4:22 left in the quarter, Julia Kirkland scored again with less than two minutes left on a lob shot over the head over Logan. Junior Lauren Finwall set up theTritons' final goal of the quarter by drawing a penalty. Sophmore Lani Tittle took the shot and snuck it in on the left side to give UCSD a 5-2 lead at the end of the first period.

The Rainbow Wahine hit their stride in the second quarter scoring four goals to tie the match up. Boyer opened the frame by drawning an exclusion and Kistler capitalized with another cross cage goal. But Hawai'i would score four unanswered goals to tie the game, 6-6, at the half.

Hawai'i distanced itself from UCSD in the second half. The Rainbow Wahine scored six goals in the frame to the Tritons one score, which came from Boyer on an assist from Jolene Guiliana.

Guiliana found Boyer in the final quarter for another power play goal. But for the third straight quarter, Hawai'i limited UCSD to just one score. Miller, who finished the day with 10 stops, was able to hold the Rainbow Wahine to just one goal in the frame. But the Tritons couldn't overcome their third quarter set back and lost 13-8.

It marks the second consecutive year that UCSD has finished eighth at the NCAA Championship.

Kistler was the only Triton to earn NCAA All-Tournament honors being placed on the second team. This was the first such award for the attacker.

Box Score
Hawai'i 2 4 6 1 13
UCSD 5 1 1 1 8

Goals
Hawai'i: Gabi Dias 3, Emily Carr 3, Zoe Respondek 2, Chole Barr 2, Paula Esforzado 1, Claire Nixon 1, Caity De Silva 1
UCSD: Lauren Boyer 3, Julia Kirkland 2, Laurel Kistler 2, Lani Tittle 1
Saves
Hawai'i: Sarah Logan 6
UCSD: Courtney Miller 10