LA JOLLA, Calif. – A last second goal from
Annika Arroyo propelled the No. 10 UC San Diego women's water polo team past No. 12 UC Santa Barbara at Canyonview Aquatic Center in a non-conference match-up. With the 6-5 victory, Tritons improve to 7-3 on the season while the Gauchos fall to 3-5.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons started out hot with three goals in the first quarter from
Karis Couch,
Tera Richardson and Arroyo to take a 3-2 lead at the end of the quarter. The Gaucho defense locked down and held the Tritons scoreless through the next two quarters.
UC Santa Barbara took their first lead of the day when Caitlyn Synder scored with 2:19 left to give the Gauchos a 4-3 lead. Both teams would go through a scoring drought that would last nearly seven minutes until
Sydney Boland found the back of the cage to tie the game up at 4-4.
With 28 seconds left in the game,
Ciara Franke gave the Tritons the one goal advantage with her first goal of the day. The Gauchos took a timeout and scored on the following position to tie the game up with 11 seconds left in the game.
Grace Pevehouse found Arroyo who scored with one second left in the game to ice it for the Gauchos.
FROM THE COACH
"I am super proud of this team for coming back again. This is multiple times they have done that this year. I told our team in the beginning that learning how to win is something that can't be taught, something people feel and this team knows how to win. I'm super proud of their constant efforts to never give up," stated Head Coach
Brad Kreutzkamp. "Having the freshman score the winning goal I think it just says the depth of our team and I could not be more happy. It all started with our defense today for sure with Bennett in the cage again, being not only one of the best goalies in the conference but in the nation."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Bennett Bugelli finished the game with 11 saves including a key penalty save. She also added a steal.
- This marks the first time the Tritons have defeated the Gauchos in back-to-back contests since 2016.
- Arroyo had a team high two goals.
- The Tritons took 26 shots compared to the Gauchos 20.
UP NEXT
The Tritons will take their longest road trip of the season when they visit UC Davis. Their conference game with be at 12:00 pm on April 2 and they will play a non-conference game at 4:00 p.m. that same day.
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.
