Santa Barbara, Calif. – Playing in their second Big West match on the road this season, the No. 12 UC San Diego women's water polo team (18-9, 3-2 BWC) collected a 10-6 win against 17th-ranked UC Santa Barbara (11-11, 1-4 BWC).
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons started quickly in this one, with
Kendall Thomas and
Courtney Okumura scoring within the first four minutes of the match to take a 2-0 lead over the Gauchos. Following a score from the home team, UC San Diego extended its lead to 6-1 with four straight goals, including a pair from
Taylor Onstott and a penalty goal from
Ciara Franke.
The second period saw UC Santa Barbara push back though, scoring with just 7 seconds left in the half to cut the deficit to 7-4.
Scoring slowed down in the second half, but not before the Tritons netted three consecutive goals, including a third of the game for Thomas.
QUOTABLE
"I'm super proud and impressed with how we came out right from the beginning," said UC San Diego head coach
Brad Kreutzkamp. "We've been working on our power play both offensively and defensively for quite some time and all seemed to go well today on both sides of the ball."
TRITON TIDBITS
- Wearing Many Hats – Kendall Thomas collected her sixth hattrick of the season in the win over the Gauchos, her first in Big West Conference play this season. Thomas is up to 37 goals this season, good for second on the Tritons.
- Record Watch – Ciara Franke notched another goal, giving her 200 for her career. She cemented herself as the 10th all-time goal scorer in UC San Diego history against Loyola Marymount, scoring four goals, including three penalty shots, in the win. With 200 career goals, Franke is one goal behind Sydney Gstettenbauer (201) and two goals behind Lauren Boyer (202). Franke has netted 47 goals, despite missing six matches over the course of the season.
| Goals |
Player Name |
Years Played |
| 321 goals |
Sarah Lizotte |
2011-2014 |
| 297 goals |
Alexis Wieseler |
2013-2017 |
| 245 goals |
Julie Swail |
1992-1995 |
| 218 goals |
Jamie Dailey |
1989-1992 |
| 210 goals |
Emma Kudrutzki |
1999-2002 |
| 205 goals |
Julia Kirkland |
2013-2016 |
| 203 goals |
Kristen Bates |
2009-2012 |
| 202 goals |
Lauren Boyer |
2014-2017 |
| 201 goals |
Sydney Gstettenbauer |
2006-2009 |
| 200 goals |
Ciara Franke |
2018 - Present |
Bennett Bugelli recorded 15 more saves against UCSB, bringing her career total up to 787 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 |
| 787 saves |
Bennett Bugelli |
2017- |
| 701 saves |
Leona Mason |
1993-1996 |
| 697 saves |
Maryam Hadiashar |
1997-2000 |
UP NEXT
UC San Diego (18-9, 3-2 BWC) vs. UC Irvine (17-6, 3-1 BWC)
April 15 at 6 pm
Anteaters Aquatics Complex – Irvine, Calif.
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.
