LA JOLLA, Calif. — Kendall Thomas scored a goal with three seconds remaining in regulation to lift No. 14 UC San Diego women's water polo to a 10-9 win over No. 24 San Diego State Sunday in the 21st Annual Harper Cup game at Canyonview Aquatic Center.
With the victory in their final regular season contest, the Tritons improved to 13-16 and extended their win streak to four games with the Big West Championship coming up next week.
The Aztecs dropped to 11-17.
Started in 2002, the Harper Cup is named after former UC San Diego water polo head coach
Denny Harper, who played at San Diego State and received his undergraduate degree from the school in 1978. He established the Aztec women's water polo club team and went on to coach UC San Diego's women's team to five national collegiate championships from 1985-99. He also served as head coach of the Tritons' men's water polo program for 42 seasons until retiring after the 2021 campaign.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
With the game tied 9-9, Thomas took a pass from
Annika Arroyo and fired a shot from about seven meters straight-out that beat the Aztec's goalie to her left and sailed into the top-right corner of the cage for the game-winner. It was the 53rd goal of her season.
San Diego State scored the first two goals of the game and had a 4-2 lead after the first quarter. However, the second quarter saw UC San Diego net five goals while holding the Aztecs scoreless to take a 7-4 advantage into halftime.
In the third quarter, SDSU out-scored the Tritons 3-1, which allowed the Aztecs to get back within a single goal, 8-7, going into the fourth.
Aztec Samantha Loughlin notched the first goal of the final quarter at the 5:19 mark to knot it at 8-8, the first tie score since it was 4-4 in quarter two. UC San Diego wasted no time re-taking the lead when
Sofia Munatones scored at 4:50. With 2:09 remaining, Rose Kanemy struck for a goal that evened the game again, 9-9.
Both Thomas and
Caroline Christl recorded three goals each for the Tritons.
Grayson Mix,
Sydney Munatones, and
Courtney Okumura all had single goals to round out the scoring for UC San Diego.
Okumura added three assists, giving her 40 for the season, which ranks third among all Big West players.
Triton goalie
Lexi Stahl finished with eight saves, an assist, and a steal. Her 44 steals rank second in the conference.
Claudia Valdes led the Aztecs offensively with four goals. Mandy Lagerlof had eight saves in net.
UC San Diego held a 30-25 edge in shots. The Tritons went two-for-six on power plays while the Aztecs were able to convert once in five opportunities.
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KENDALL THOMAS INTERVIEW
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HARPER CUP HISTORY
• All-Time Series: San Diego State leads 13-8
• Last Meeting: 4/23/23, UC San Diego wins 10-9 in La Jolla
• First Meeting: 4/19/02: San Diego State wins 8-7 in La Jolla
• Last San Diego State Win: 4/18/15, 6-3 in San Diego
• Streak: UC San Diego 7 wins
• At UC San Diego: San Diego State leads 6-5
• At San Diego State: San Diego State leads 7-3
• UC San Diego Goals Scored: 139
• San Diego State Goals Scored: 169
2023: San Diego State 9, UC San Diego 10
2022: UC San Diego 13, San Diego State 8
2021: San Diego State 7, UC San Diego 10
2020: Game canceled due to pandemic
2019: UC San Diego 9, San Diego State 5
2018: San Diego State 5, UC San Diego 6
2017: UC San Diego 10, San Diego State 6
2016: San Diego State 5, UC San Diego 6 (SD)
2015: UC San Diego 3, San Diego State 6
2014: San Diego State 5, UC San Diego 8
2013: UC San Diego 4, San Diego State 6
2012: San Diego State 10, UC San Diego 5
2011: UC San Diego 7, San Diego State 15
2010: San Diego State 11, UC San Diego 3
2009: UC San Diego 7, San Diego State 14
2008: San Diego State 6, UC San Diego 5
2007: UC San Diego 8, San Diego State 10
2006: San Diego State 6, UC San Diego 5
2005: UC San Diego 4, San Diego State 9
2004: San Diego State 9, UC San Diego 4
2003: UC San Diego 5, San Diego State 9
2002: San Diego State 8, UC San Diego 7
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TRITON TIDBITS
• UC San Diego has won the last seven Harper Cup games.
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Kendall Thomas was named the 2023 Harper Cup Most Valuable Player.
• UC San Diego's current four-game win streak is its longest of the season.
•
Caroline Christl has scored 16 goals over her last four games.
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UP NEXT
UC San Diego will be the fourth seed in the Big West Championship, which is scheduled for April 28-30 at UC Santa Barbara. The Tritons will take on fifth-seeded UC Davis in the quarterfinal round on Friday at 11 a.m. at UCSB's Campus Pool. For a complete tournament schedule and ticket information, visit the
Big West Women's Water Polo Championship page.
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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.
