LA JOLLA, Calif. – The 16th-ranked UC San Diego women's water polo team defeated Big West opponent Cal State Fullerton, 19-7, Friday at Canyonview Aquatic Center in the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

The Tritons improved to 9-14 overall and 1-2 in the conference. The Titans, who are in their first season of competition, fell to 9-13 and 0-3. 

------
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego's 19 goals equaled its season-high.

Sophomore center Kendall Thomas netted a career-best seven goals, while redshirt sophomore Caroline Christl scored four times. Freshmen Maja Layden and Sydney Munatones had two goals apiece. Sophomore Courtney Okumura also established a new career-high by dishing out six assists.

Sophomore goalkeeper Lexi Stahl played the first half, making five saves in a winning effort. Freshman Bria Zwaschka had four stops in the third quarter and junior Katie Ward closed out the game playing net for the fourth quarter.

UC San Diego scored six goals in the opening quarter, three of those coming from Thomas back-to-back-to-back.

Kylie Corwin put the Titans on the board early, scoring at the 7:11 mark of the first stanza, which would be their lone goal of the period.

The Tritons led 10-4 at halftime after out-scoring their opponent 4-3 in the second quarter. It was Cal State Fullerton's best single quarter offensive output of the game. Thomas scored once in the second. 

The third quarter saw Thomas score three more times, the third putting the Tritons up 13-5.

Corwin and Mia Solorzano each had two goals in the game for the Titans. Starting keeper Haden Skye Bates had two saves and three steals over three quarters of action.

------

WHAT SOPHOMORE KENDALL THOMAS HAD TO SAY

 
------ 

TRITON TIDBITS
• The Tritons have won four of their last five games.
• UC San Diego also scored 19 goals in a win against Cal State Monterey Bay in January.
• Kendall Thomas' previous career-high for goals scored was five, which she hit twice.
• Courtney Okumura's previous career-high for assists was four, which she accomplished three times.

------
 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego is off until March 26 when they travel to Loyola Marymount for a 12 p.m. non-conference game.

------
 
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.