RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The No. 11 UC San Diego women's water polo team won the day Saturday, defeating Biola 17-10 in the first match before downing Pomona-Pitzer 10-5 to close out its stay at the Lancer Joust, hosted by California Baptist.
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego (4-2, 0-0 vs. Big West opponents) sprung out to an early lead against Biola, going up 5-1 at the end of the first period with five different players netting goals. The lead was short lived though. After
Hannah Kawar made it 6-1 Tritons to begin the second period, Biola roared back with five unanswered goals to tie the score at 6-6 with just under two minutes to go before half time.
Lucia Doak quickly responded though for UC San Diego, netting a goal to put the Tritons back up 7-6, a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the match.
The score was closer in the second game of the day as UC San Diego and Pomona-Pitzer matched each other goal for goal through the first two periods, resulting in a 3-3 score heading into the second half. The Tritons pulled away in the third and fourth periods though, including three unanswered goals in the fourth period from
Chloe Pena,
Lauren Bellavia, and
Lucia Doak.
QUOTABLE
"We planned to make sure we got a lot of minutes for as many people as we could to see who was improving and who still needed time," said UC San Diego head coach
Brad Kreutzkamp on seeing more of the roster get into the games today. "We did want to just give [
Bennett Bugelli] a rest to see what Lexi [Stahl] could do and she played great in the cage in the second game."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Freshmen with Firsts - Against Biola, Kendall Thomas, Maggie Bria, and Sasha Frey all notched the first goals of their careers, with Thomas finding the back of the cage three times in the win. Versus Pomona-Pitzer, Lauren Bellavia joined the party, scoring for the first time in her career as well.
- The Best Defense is a Good Offense - The Tritons built off their defensive success at the UCSB Winter Invite last week today at the Lancer Joust, but they did so in a slightly different manner. While UC San Diego made it to double digits only once last weekend, the Tritons poured in 27 goals across the pair of matches at the Joust, flexing both their defensive and offensive muscle by allowing just 15 goals across those games.
- RECORD WATCH - With 654 career saves, Bennett Bugelli ranks fifth all time, having already leapt up from ninth place over the span of four games, making 25 saves at the UCSB Winter Invite. Next on the list is Maryam Hadiashar with 697 saves.
| Goalie Saves |
Player Name |
Years Played |
| 1,465 saves |
Courtney Miller |
2013-2016 |
| 852 saves |
Jefi Paulsen |
1987-1990 |
| 701 saves |
Leona Mason |
1993-1996 |
| 697 saves |
Maryam Hadiashar |
1997-2000 |
| 654 saves |
Bennett Bugelli |
2017- |
Coach Kreutzkamp also changed his standing in the record books last weekend by collecting his 246
th career win, moving him to the top spot all-time with the Tritons.
UP NEXT
The Triton Invitational is coming up Saturday, Feb. 12 and Sunday, Feb. 13, with opponents, seeding, and times to be announced. The spectator policy and video/live stat information will also be announced prior to the tournament weekend.
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 38 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
