HONOLULU - The 10th-ranked UC San Diego women's water polo team scored nine first-half goals en route to a 13-7 win over No. 24 CSU Bakersfield, Thursday at Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex on the campus of the University of Hawai'i.
With the win, the Tritons improve their overall record to 19-7. The Roadrunners drop to 13-13.
Junior center Lauren Boyer and senior attacker Laurel Kistler recorded hat tricks to lead UCSD with three goals each. Redshirt junior two-meter defender Alexis Wieseler, freshman center Chanel Schilling and senior attacker Julia Kirkland pitched in two each. Senior goalie Courtney Miller amassed 14 saves. Boyer and Miller are both Honolulu natives.
“We are happy getting the W, but we certainly needed to play better individual defense,” said head coach Brad Kreutzkamp. “I was very happy both local girls (Miller and Boyer) really stepped up and carried the team today. It's been the theme all year, we continuously pick each other up.”
Both teams traded two goals to begin the game. With the score tied 2-2, the Tritons put away four consecutive, two by Wieseler and one each from Schilling and Kirkland, to take a 6-2 lead.
The Roadrunners answered back and scored two straight on back-to-back possessions to cut the margin to two. UCSD ended the second quarter with two scores from Boyer and one from Kistler to lead 9-4 at halftime.
CSUB scored twice and limited the Tritons to only one goal in the third period. UCSD was on the verge of getting shut out in the quarter, but Kistler buried one with 40 seconds remaining.
The Tritons put away three goals in the final frame and won by six. The UCSD scores came from Boyer, Kirkland and Schilling.
The Tritons, on Spring Break, will stay in Honolulu for two more days, taking on UC Irvine on Friday, March 25 at 3 p.m. PT and Hawai'i on Saturday, March 26 at 3 p.m. PT at the Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex.
Box Score
UCSD 4 5 1 3 - 13
CSUB 2 2 2 1 - 7
Goals
UCSD: Laurel Kistler 3, Lauren Boyer 3, Alexis Wieseler 2, Chanel Schilling 2, Julia Kirkland 2, Emma Sasson 1
CSUB: Nicola Barrett 2, Jada Helberg 2, Kristen Jensen 1, Niki De Leon 1, Ashley Paz 1
Saves
UCSD: Courtney Miller 14
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