LA JOLLA, Calif.- No. 10 UC San Diego picked up a thrilling 7-6 sudden death overtime victory over No. 12 UC Santa Barbara to remain undefeated in Big West action. The Tritons improve to 6-3 and 2-0 in Big West while the Gauchos fell to 3-4 and 1-1 in conference.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Neither team led by more than a goal during the first half. The Gauchos scored within the first couple minutes of the game but
Jessee Ransone was able to tie the game back up. Back-to-back goals from
Ciara Franke gave the Tritons their first lead of the game with 3:28 left in the half, but Nina Munson equalized to tie the game 4-4 at the half.
Goals from Ransone and
Annika Arroyo gave the Tritons their largest lead of the game in the third quarter. The Gauchos came back to tie the game up 6-6 in the fourth quarter. Both teams got good contributions from their defenses to keep the game scoreless and send it to overtime.
Neither team would score in the first two overtime periods. With seconds left in sudden death, Franke took the feed from
Grace Pevehouse and iced the game.
FROM THE COACH
"This was awesome because Santa Barbara and us are sitting atop of the division at 1-0 and 2-0 was going to be a big step for qualifying for our conference tournament," stated
Brad Kreutzkamp. "So as tight as this conference is, to win two one-goal games and to be sitting where we are right now is awesome. Santa Barbara has a great win over Davis. That team is in great shape, is deep and they can bring in people after people. I didn't sub for the last quarter and a half. I'm super proud of my starting line-up for going iron women."
TRITON TIDBITS
- This is the second sudden death victory this season. The Tritons started the season with a sudden death overtime win over San Diego State.
- Franke had a game high three goals. She also had a golden goal a season ago when the Tritons upset Cal.
- UC San Diego starts Big West play 2-0 for the first time. Last season, they went 1-1 before the season was shut down
- Bennett Bugelli finished the game with 13 saves and three steals.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will play a non-conference game against UC Santa Barbara at 11:00 am at Canyonview. The game can be streamed on Big West TV.
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 began a new era in 2020 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 III and II and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned 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.
Return To Sport…Safely
In order for UC San Diego scholar-athletes to be permitted to return to training and competition safely and within federal, state, local, and university guidelines, the athletic department implemented a number of measures designed to complement and enhance the university's highly-successful Return To Learn program. Notable actions include being physically distanced when practical, including during out-of-season training sessions; wearing masks, except when undergoing physically strenuous exercise; and maintaining proper hygiene. Athletes, coaches, and staff are testing at a higher frequency than the campus population, teams adhere to CDC, NCAA, and Big West Conference guidelines, and department officials participate in regular meetings with conference and university-affiliated physicians and the UC San Diego emergency operations staff.
