LA JOLLA, Calif. – The No 10 UC San Diego women's water polo team lost a tight contest 10-9 to UC Irvine at Canyonview Aquatic Center. The Tritons drop to 9-7 on the season while the Anteaters improve to 11-7.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Anteaters opened the game with back-to-back goals in the first quarter. A penalty goal from
Ciara Franke put the Tritons on the board and Franke scored in the final two seconds of the quarter to tie the game up.
Annika Arroyo scored on a power play on the first possession of the second quarter to give the Triton's their first lead and
Sydney Boland followed up to make it a two-goal lead. Piper Smith scored for the Anteaters to make it a one goal game, but the Tritons scored two more to take a 6-3 lead into half.
The Anteaters countered with a 4-0 run to take a 7-6 lead with 6:28 remaining in the game.
Holly Maine tied the game up on a power play, but the Anteaters responded quickly with two goals. Franke scored on a penalty goal and Arroyo scored in the same situation with 47 left in the game. Seconds later, Piper Smith reclaimed the lead for the Anteaters. With one possession left, the Tritons looked to send the game to overtime, but the offense was not able to come up with a play.
SENIOR DAY THOUGHTS FROM COACH
TRITON TIDBITS
- UC San Diego went 3-for-4 on Penalty shots
- Ciara Franke and Annika Arroyo each three goals and one assist.
- The Tritons will play the Anteaters next Saturday in the Big West Tournament. UC San Diego earned the second seed while UCI earned the third.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will host the Big West Tournament next weekend at Canyonview Aquatic Center. The five-team tournament will take place April 30 – May 2.
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.
