GOLETA, Calif. – The No. 13 University of California, San Diego women's water polo team opened up the season splitting day one of the UCSB Winter Invite. The Tritons shut down Ottawa University Arizona in an 18-0 win and nearly upset No. T-2 UCLA in an 8-6 loss.
GAME ONE VS UCLA
The Tritons opened up the game with a 2-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to goals from
Ciara Franke and
Tera Richardson. The Bruins would outscore the Tritons 4-0 in the second quarter and would extend their run to 5-0 to open the third quarter.
UC San Diego would not go away easily and came with a goal twice during the second half.
Sydney Boland would take advantage of another women-up opportunity to bring the score to 7-6. But UCLA was able to respond on a women-up opportunity of its own to bring the score to 8-6 with under a minute to go and essential ice the game.
Franke led all scorers in the game with a hat trick. Boland, Richardson and
Jessee Ransone each had a goal for the Tritons.
GAME TWO VS OTTAWA UNIVERSITY ARIZONA
The Triton's blanked an opponent for the first time since at least the 2006 season.
Maddie Bockman had a monster output with six goals. Last season, she only scored eight goals.
Several players scored their first career goals.
Lyndsey Hightower netted four while
Carson Rampelberg had a hat trick.
Kayla Peacock,
Holly Maine and
Karis Couch each scored a goal apiece.
The Tritons were perfect on women down defense and held the Spirit scoreless on all four of their attempts.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will play Iona tomorrow at 9:45 a.m. and wrap up the tournament with a game against No. 4 California at 2:00 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 82 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 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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