LA JOLLA, Calif. – Playing at home for the first time this season, the No. 12 UC San Diego women's water polo team split two games on Day 1 of the Triton Invitational, taking down No. 18 San Diego State 13-10 in its first game before falling 13-6 to No. 3 UCLA.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In the first game, the Tritons never relinquished their lead after the first period, going up 3-2 on goals from
Annika Arroyo,
Ciara Franke and
Kendall Thomas. The freshman Thomas led UC San Diego in goals against the Aztecs with five, followed by Franke with three.
The second game proved tougher for the Tritons. After grinding out to a 3-1 lead through the first half, UCLA outscored UC San Diego 12-3 in the second half, with six goals in each period. Franke scored all three of the Tritons goals in the first half, with
Lucia Doak adding two in the second half.
With a 1-1 record on the day, UC San Diego fell into a Sunday matchup with No. 10 UC Davis, which also finished the first day of action with a 1-1 record.
QUOTABLE
"In a word, amped," said UC San Diego head coach
Brad Kreutzkamp on getting to bring back the Triton Invitational. "This has been a long time coming, [waiting] two years to get this tournament back. We played at home last year, but nothing like this, in front of all these fans, a tournament crowd. It's awesome having this many people and seeing how enthusiastic everybody is."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Feeling Fresh – Freshman Kendall Thomas did not record a shot in the first four games of the season for the Tritons, but she has come up big of late, with eight goals across her last four contests.
- Records Watch – Bennett Bugelli recorded 11 more saves across two matches on the first day of the Triton Invitational, bringing her career total up to 665 career saves, good for fifth all time. This season, she has already jumped up from ninth place after 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 |
| 665 saves |
Bennett Bugelli |
2017- |
- History with Every Win – With the win over San Diego State, head coach Brad Kreutzkamp moved up to 249 career wins, after already having surpassed his former head coach and mentor Denny Harper earlier this season for the program record.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego (5-3, 0-0 BW) vs UC Davis (6-4)
Sunday, Feb. 13 at 9:20 am (Non-conference)
Triton Invitational – Triton Pool
ATTENDING THE TOURNAMENT
General admission tickets will cost $15 per day, with $10 tickets for seniors and children. Tickets can be purchased here for the tournament and pre-ordering tickets is highly-encouraged.
The following protocols will be enforced for fans.
- Proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID test within 48 hours required of all fans.
- Masks required outdoors for fans.
- No food allowed in venue.
Parking permits are required seven days a week on campus. For UC San Diego Parking information,
click here or download the
Parkmobile smartphone or web application.
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 37 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 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
