LA JOLLA, Calif. – Down by as many as four goals, the 15th-ranked UC San Diego women's water polo team mounted a late scoring run that fell just short as the Tritons dropped a 10-9 decision to sixth-ranked UC Irvine Friday at Canyonview Aquatic Center.

With the loss in the Big West match, UC San Diego fell to 5-13 overall and 0-2 in conference action. UC Irvine improved to 10-6 and 2-0.

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HOW IT HAPPENED
Trailing 9-6 with 4:51 remaining in the contest, Kendall Thomas netted her third goal of the game to get UC San Diego back within two. At 4:24, UC Irvine went back up by three when Elena Flynn scored on a power play. With 1:40 on the clock, Flynn was whistled for a penalty foul and Caroline Christl converted on the five-meter penalty shot. After a timeout, the Tritons returned to the water and Thomas found the net yet again, cutting UC San Diego's deficit by a single goal, 10-9, with 57 seconds left to play. UCI got off a shot, which was saved by Triton goalkeeper Lexi Stahl. Following a 30-second UC San Diego timeout, Courtney Okumura fired a shot that was turned aside by Anteater goalie Erin Tharp to preserve the narrow victory.

UC Irvine out-scored UC San Diego 7-4 in the first half. In the second half of the game, the Tritons held a 5-3 advantage.

A goal by Jessica Lynch at the 2:22 mark of the second quarter put UC San Diego down by four goals, 7-3, the Tritons' largest deficit of the night. 

Thomas and Christl accounted for 78 percent of UC San Diego's goals with Thomas finishing with four and Christl scoring three times. Okumura and Annika Arroyo each had a goal. Okumura also assisted on four goals, matching her career-high.

For the Anteaters, three players netted all 10 of their goals. Flynn finished with five while Lynch had three and Gracie Helberg had two.

Both keepers were solid in net as Stahl amassed 10 saves and Tharp had nine.

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WHAT HEAD COACH BRAD KREUTZKAMP HAD TO SAY

 
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TRITON TIDBITS
• Caroline Christl has scored 10 goals over her last four outings.
• Kendall Thomas has scored four goals in a game twice in 2023.
• Goalie Lexi Stahl has made 10 or more saves six times this season.
• Madison Solares matched her career-high by dishing out two assists today.

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UP NEXT
UC San Diego continues a busy weekend Saturday and Sunday at San Diego State's Aztec Invitational. Saturday, the Tritons play Siena (11 a.m.) and Villanova (3:30 p.m.) and Sunday they face off against St. Francis (10:30 a.m.) and No. 13 Princeton (12:30 p.m.).

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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 began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West 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 earned 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 Divisions I and II.