SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The No. 10 UC San Diego Tritons opened up the 2021 season with an exciting 9-8 win in triple overtime over crosstown rival No. 17 San Diego State.
Grace Pevehouse scored the golden goal while
Bennett Bugelli paced the defense with a career high 17 saves.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sydney Boland scored the first goal of 2021 and gave the Tritons a 1-0 lead with 6:25 to go in the first.
Ciara Franke and Pevehouse added goals to give the Tritons a 3-0 lead after the first.
The Aztecs finally found the back of the net in the second quarter, taking advantage of two power plays. Bugelli led the defense with eight first half saves as the Tritons took a 4-2 lead into halftime.
Franke wasted no time to open up the third quarter and skipped the ball into the net 26 seconds in to give the Tritons a 5-2 lead. The Aztecs were able to make it a one goal game thanks to a power play and penalty shot.
Neither team could break through in the first half of the fourth quarter. Franke an opportunity with a penalty shot, but SDSU made the save and immediately scored to tie the game 5-5 with. Pevehouse responded quickly to regain the lead with 4:04 left. The Tritons held advantage for the next three minutes when the Aztecs tied the game again at 6-6. The Aztecs looked to ice the game coming out of a timeout with 39 seconds left, but they couldn't find the net and the game went into OT.
SDSU found the net first with the start of OT but the Tritons were able to equalize to tie the game up and the teams went into the second OT tied at seven apiece. The Aztecs scored quickly to open the second OT but Pevehouse scored on a power play to tie it at 8-8. With six seconds left, the Aztecs called a timeout to work up a play to win the game but fell short of scoring a goal.
In sudden death, the Aztecs won the sprint and looked to score but the shot went wide. Pevehouse responded quickly and found the back of the next for the golden goal to give the Tritons the 9-8 win.
QUOTE
"With everyone taking so much time off we knew that both teams were going to be rusty. And that's exactly what you saw," stated Head Coach
Brad Kreutzkamp. "We didn't play like ourselves and I don't think the Aztecs did either. However, anytime a game goes to sudden-death overtime, you know it was gonna be fun for people to watch and I really feel that family and friends got their moneys worth today. This Aztec team is very good but we just played a little bit better today. Super proud of my team for not giving up and coming back when you're down in overtime. I think it's a testament to what a veteran squad we have."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Bugelli broke her previous career high of 14 saves that was set against SDSU on April 20, 2019.
- Pevehouse had a team high four goals.
- The Tritons now have a six-game win streak against SDSU.
- Grayson Mix made her first start for the Tritons, adding an assist.
UP NEXT
The Tritons welcome Cal Baptist to Canyonview Aquatic Center on Feb. 27 for their home opener. They will play a pair of games at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
