LA JOLLA, Calif. – The 13^th-ranked UC San Diego women's water polo team took home two wins on the road at the Convergence Tournament Friday, downing Azusa Pacific 14-5 before finishing the day with a 10-6 win against Pomona-Pitzer.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Against Azusa Pacific, the Tritons led the entire way. Ciara Franke and Kendall Thomas put up one goal each in the first and second periods to help UC San Diego take a commanding 7-3 lead going into half time. Franke scored two more goals in the second half, as did Courtney Okumura, contributing to what was the third-highest goal total for the team this season.
 
To finish off the Convergence Tournament, UC San Diego faced a stiffer test against Pomona-Pitzer. The Tritons took an early 3-0 lead in the first period with a pair of goals from Annika Arroyo, but the Sagehens had a three-goal stretch of their own to end the first period and begin the second period, knotting the score at 4-4 with just over six minutes remaining in the half. UC San Diego came into its own after that point, holding Pomona-Pitzer to just two goals across the remainder of the match, including a shutout third period.
 
QUOTABLE
"We're coming together much better on our power plays and our team defense," said UC San Diego head coach Brad Kreutzkamp. "We're hoping we can now rally this into the second half of our season, and with our first Big West Conference game tomorrow we have to stay focused."
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Goal Streak Grows – Ciara Franke has now recorded at least one goal in all 14 matches she has competed in this season, totaling 38 goals. Franke recorded seven goals across the two wins on Friday, leading the team in both contests.
• Records Watch – Bennett Bugelli recorded 14 more saves at the Convergence Tournament, bringing her career total up to 719 career saves. In the win over UCSB last week 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
705 saves	Bennett Bugelli	2017-
701 saves	Leona Mason	1993-1996
697 saves	Maryam Hadiashar	1997-2000

• History with Every Win – With the wins over Azusa Pacific and Pomona-Pitzer, head coach Brad Kreutzkamp moved up to 255 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 (11-7, 0-0 BWC) vs CSUN (8-5, 0-1 BWC)
Saturday, March 5 at 12:00 pm
Canyonview Aquatics Center – La Jolla, California
Live video feed | Live stats | Tickets
 
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.