LA JOLLA, Calif. — The No. 20 University of California San Diego women's water polo team finished off the 2019 Triton Invitational in style on Sunday, sweeping two contests at Canyonview Aquatic Center en route to taking ninth place out of 16 teams.
UC San Diego (4-5) earned a key victory over future Big West foe No. 16 Long Beach State, 9-6, on Sunday evening, after knocking off No. T-25 Marist earlier in the afternoon, 12-7. The Tritons closed the tournament on a three-game winning streak and won three games in the prestigious two-day event for the first time since 2006.
Heading into Friday's home game against Loyola Marymount, UC San Diego has won 11 of its last 13 contests at Canyonview Aquatic Center.
UC San Diego 9, Long Beach State 6
Sophomore Grace Pevehouse recorded a hat trick with three goals — all in the first half — while sophomore goalkeeper Bennett Bugelli matched a career-high with 13 saves to lift the Tritons past No. 16 Long Beach State, 9-6.
Pevehouse also had an assist and a steal, sophomore Sydney Boland finished with two goals, sophomore Taylor Onstott tallied a goal, two assists and three steals, and senior Halley Atkinson added two assists.
UC San Diego led by one at the end of the first quarter and held a 6-3 advantage at halftime.
Long Beach State (2-6) cut the deficit to 7-6 with 7:11 remaining in the game, but senior Chanel Schilling's goal off an assist from sophomore Robyn Carter pushed the Tritons' lead back to two with 5:43 left to play. A goal by Boland on a pass from Onstott gave UC San Diego a 9-6 edge with 2:59 left.
UC San Diego 12, Marist 7
Onstott posted a hat trick of her own in the first game of the day, finishing with three goals, an assist and two steals in a 12-7 win against No. T-25 Marist (5-5).
Junior Jessee Ransone and sophomore Ciara Franke scored two goals apiece, senior Krista Schneider had a goal with three assists and Schilling had a goal and three steals.
The Tritons led 4-2 at halftime and extended their advantage to 9-5 on sophomore Tera Richardson's power-play goal with 30 second left in the third period.
UC San Diego plays host to Loyola Marymount on Friday, Feb. 15, beginning at 7 p.m.
About UC San Diego Athletics
With 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country. The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in summer 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference. UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent. A total of 80 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 36 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. In competition, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.
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For complete coverage and information regarding UC San Diego Athletics, follow the Tritons online at UCSDtritons.com and through social media on Twitter (@ucsdtritons), Instagram (@ucsdtritons) and Facebook (ucsdtritons). In addition, you can follow UC San Diego women's water polo on Twitter (@ucsdwwp) and on Instagram (@ucsdwwp).
