LA JOLLA, Calif. – The No. 9 UC San Diego women's water polo team fell short of a spot in the Big West Championship final with a 12-11 loss to No. T-7 UC Irvine in a Conference semifinal on Saturday afternoon at UC San Diego's Canyonview Aquatic Center. The Tritons wrap up their season 9-8 overall; the Anteaters move on to Sunday's championship match vs. Hawai'i.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair with neither team taking more than a one goal lead. Tera Richardson, Sydney Boland, Annika Arroyo and Karis Couch scored for the Tritons. Couch's goal in the final minute of the quarter put the Tritons up 4-3.
 
The Anteater's outscored the Tritons 6-1 in the second quarter to take control of the game. Ciara Franke scored three goals in the third quarter and Richardson added another to cut the deficit to three goals. 
 
Down 12-9 heading into the final frame, the Tritons played excellent defense to keep the Anteaters off the board. They limited UC Irvine on three power play opportunities in the top of the fourth quarter. Arroyo scored on a power play and Boland made it a one-goal game with 1:25 remaining in the game. The Tritons got one more shot on offense but Jessee Ransone's shot was blocked by the UCI keeper and the Anteaters were able to drain the clock.

FROM THE COACH

TRITON TIDBITS

• This was the first Big West Championship appearance for the Tritons.
• Franke scored a game high four goals.
• Richardson had three goals to go with two assists.
• The Tritons held the Anteaters to 5-for-9 on penalty shots and Bennett Bugelli blocked their only penalty shot.

UP NEXT
All Conference awards will be announced next week.
 
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 accolades, while 38 have received 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.