SEASIDE, Calif. — Sophomore Ciara Franke matched a career high with five goals to lift the No. 17 University of California San Diego women's water polo team to a road victory over Cal State Monterey Bay, 19-7, Friday evening at The Otter Tank.
Fellow sophomore Taylor Onstott added two goals with two assists, senior Halley Atkinson scored twice and senior Maddy Wieseler finished with a goal and two assists. In addition, the goalkeeper tandem of junior Reilly Gallagher and sophomore Bennett Bugelli combined for eight saves in the net.
UC San Diego (14-12, 2-0 WWPA) has now won four straight games and seven of its last eight contests overall. It was also the Tritons' 30th-consecutive victory in WWPA play, including postseason.
Franke set the tone early, scoring three goals in the first quarter alone. The San Diego native had the game's first goal off an assist from senior Krista Schneider, scored later in the period off an assist from sophomore Grace Pevehouse and capped off the eventful opening quarter with a five-meter penalty-shot goal.
With the Tritons leading by two after the first period, Fanke's goal just 33 seconds into the second to make it a 5-2 advantage. Senior Chanel Schilling followed with a goal, and scores by junior Jessee Ransone, Franke and senior Shelby Stender helped UC San Diego take a 9-3 lead into halftime.
A member of the WWPA All-Freshman Team in 2018, Franke has scored 13 goals in the last three games, with five goals in two of the last three contests.
UC San Diego continues conference play on Saturday afternoon with a road contest against Cal State East Bay, beginning at 12 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).
