NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – Freshman Maja Layden scored four goals to pace the 14th-ranked UC San Diego women's water polo team to a 15-8 Big West victory on the road at No. 22 CSUN Saturday.

The Tritons now stand at an even 3-3 in the conference and move 11-16 on the season. The Matadors remain winless in the Big West at 0-6 and fall to 16-12 overall.

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HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego was in front for the entire game. The Tritons got out to an early 2-0 lead with back-to-back goals from Kendall Thomas and Caroline Christl in the opening minute of the first quarter. In fact, UC San Diego put five goals on the board in the first, its highest scoring quarter of the game.

The Tritons added three more goals in the second quarter and held an 8-5 advantage at the half. They scored three times in the third and netted another four in final quarter of play.

CSUN closed the gap to one goal twice, both occasions coming in the first period. With the Tritons ahead 3-2, they went on to tally three-consecutive goals to move their cushion to four goals at 6-2 midway through the second stanza.

In front 11-7 heading into the fourth quarter, UC San Diego scored four of the game's final five goals to ice the victory.

The Tritons were solid on the power play, converting on six of eight opportunities. They also held a substantial 35-19 in shots.

Christl scored three goals and Lucia Doak added two. Six other Tritons netted single goals.

Lexi Stahl made eight saves in net for UC San Diego.

Helena Sandhagen, Dorottya Telek, and Nicole Thomas each scored twice for the Matadors. Meghan Lopez finished with 11 saves.

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WHAT HEAD COACH BRAD KREUTZKAMP HAD TO SAY
"I'm super proud of how this team is playing right now. We're doing all the little things correctly and correcting a lot of mistakes that we were making earlier in the year. Hopefully, we're clicking at just the right time with a couple of tough games in front of us next week."

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TRITON TIDBITS
• Caroline Christl upped her scoring streak to 13 games. She has multiple goals in nine of those.
• Maja Layden also scored four times against Bucknell on Jan. 29. She scored a career-high five goals against Cal State Monterey Bay on Jan. 21.
• CSUN has not defeated UC San Diego since 2015.

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UP NEXT
UC San Diego concludes regular season play next week at home. On Saturday, April 22, the Tritons host UC Santa Barbara in a Big West clash. On Sunday, April 23, they entertain San Diego State on Senior Day at Canyonview Aquatic Center. Tickets to all home games 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.