LA JOLLA, Calif. – In their final home match of the No. 12 UC San Diego women's water polo team defeated 17^th-ranked Loyola Marymount 11-10 on Sunday afternoon at Canyonview Aquatics Center for Senior Day.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego got out to an early lead in what turned out to be a back and forth game, going up 3-0 at the end of the first period thanks to two penalty shots scored by Ciara Franke and Lucia Doak. Loyola Marymount responded in the second period with four goals of their own, tying the score at 4-4 with 1:23 remaining in the first half. Courtney Okumura floated in a goal to break the tie with 48 seconds left, sending the Tritons into halftime up 5-4.
 
The second half held plenty more scoring. UC San Diego outscored Loyola Marymount 4-3 in the third period, a disparity that gave the Tritons a 9-7 lead heading into the fourth period. The Lions were not going down easily though, coming back with two consecutive goals to begin the final period and to tie the score at 9-9 with 3:56 remaining in regulation.
 
Just 15 seconds later, UC San Diego regained the lead as Annika Arroyo scored her first goal of the match, but the lead would not hold. With 1:15 remaining, Loyola Marymount knotted the score once again on the powerplay at 10-10.
 
The Tritons had a final chance to take home the win in regulation, as with 23 seconds remaining the team took its final full timeout to set up the 7-on-6, bringing Arroyo back into the match as the extra attacker. Kendall Thomas found Arroyo in the final seconds, with Arroyo unleashing the game-winning strike with just 0:01 on the clock.
 
QUOTABLE
"It's hard to think that I may only have six games left with her," said UC San Diego head coach Brad Kreutzkamp on Ciara Franke. "She may have just played her best game of the season today and I was so happy to see how she was able to get up and down the pool."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Senior Day Honorees – Before the match, the Tritons honored five seniors, Chloe Pena, Ciara Franke, Holly Maine, Bennett Bugelli, and Taylor Onstott. All five were in the starting lineup for UC San Diego as well.
• Late-Game Heroics –  For the second time this month, Arroyo unleashed a game-winning goal while wearing the "1B" cap as the extra attacker in a 7-6 situation to end a match. She last took home the win for the Tritons against Long Beach State on March 11.
• Record Watch – Ciara Franke cemented herself as the 10th all-time goal scorer in UC San Diego history, scoring four goals, including three penalty shots, against Loyola Marymount. With 199 career goals, Franke moved ahead of Brenda Reiton (195). Franke has netted 46 goals, despite missing six matches over the course of the season. Franke is two goals behind Sydney Gstettenbauer (201) and three goals behind Lauren Boyer (202).

 
Bennett Bugelli recorded 11 more saves against Loyola Marymount, bringing her career total up to 770 career saves. In the win over UCSB at the Kalbus Invitational, Bugelli moved up to third all-time, passing Maryam Hadiashar, 697 saves, and Leona Mason, 701 saves. This season, she has already leapt up from ninth place after making 25 saves at the UCSB Winter Invite. Next on the list is Jefi Paulsen with 852 saves.
 

Goalie Saves	Player Name	Years Played
1,465 saves	Courtney Miller	2013-2016
852 saves	Jefi Paulsen	1987-1990
770 saves	Bennett Bugelli	2017-
701 saves	Leona Mason	1993-1996
697 saves	Maryam Hadiashar	1997-2000

 

• History with Every Win –  With the win over Loyola Marymount on March 27, head coach Brad Kreutzkamp moved up to 260 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 (17-8, 3-1 BWC) vs. Hawai'i (12-5, 3-0 BWC)
Friday, April 1 at 10 pm
Honolulu, Hawai'i
TV: Spectrum Sports
 
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.