LOS ANGELES – The 18th-ranked UC San Diego women's water polo team dropped a 14-12 non-conference decision on the road at No. 16 LMU Sunday afternoon.

The Tritons erased a four-goal deficit to tie the game at 12-12 in the fourth quarter, but the Lions were able to add two late scores to take the win.

UC San Diego is now 9-15 on the season while LMU is 11-12.

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HOW IT HAPPENED
The game was tied, 5-5, at the end of the opening quarter after Triton Kendall Thomas scored a goal with just seven seconds remaining in the period.

Caroline Christl opened the second frame with a goal just 16 seconds in to put UC San Diego in front, 6-5. However, LMU scored four unanswered goals to take a 9-6 advantage. The Tritons got one back before halftime when Annika Arroyo scored on a five-meter penalty shot with 26 seconds on the clock, but the Lions found the net again with three ticks left to lead 10-7 at the half. All in all, LMU out-scored UC San Diego 5-2 in the second quarter.

The Tritons came out of the break and out-scored the Lions 3-2 in the third stanza. A Thomas strike 21 seconds in got UC San Diego back within two at 10-8. Back-to-back LMU goals by Mollie Williams then made the score 12-8 Lions, their largest lead of the game. Arroyo and Courtney Okumura netted goals before the end of the quarter and UC San Diego again trailed by just two, 12-10, heading into the fourth.

Christl scored the first two goals of the final quarter to draw the Tritons even at 12-12 midway through the period. LMU was able to net two goals while holding UC San Diego scoreless in the final 4:33 to escape with the victory.

Both Arroyo and Christl recorded hat tricks for UC San Diego. Okumura and Thomas had two goals each, while Lauren Bellavia and Grayson Mix rounded out the scoring for the Tritons. Okumura assisted on three goals to finish her day with five points. Arroyo and Christl also had assists to add four points to their season totals.

Lexi Stahl made five saves and had two steals in goal for UC San Diego.

For the Lions, Ruth Arino Ruiz led all players with nine points on two goals and seven assists. Williams had six points on five goals and one assist, while Kelsey Snelgar amassed five points on four goals and an assist. Madison Davis racked up 12 saves in the win.

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TRITON TIDBITS
• The Tritons held a 34-29 advantage in shots.
• UC San Diego went 1-for-7 and LMU was 4-for-10 on the power play.
• Caroline Christl has scored at least once in her last 10 games.
• Courtney Okumura has tallied at least one assist in her last eight games.

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UP NEXT
UC San Diego hosts fifth-ranked Hawai'i on Thursday, March 30, at 6 p.m. Tickets for all home games at Canyonview Aquatic Center are available through the Triton Box Office.

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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.