SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Freshman Maja Layden scored with three seconds left in the game to propel UC San Diego past UC Davis, 9-8, Friday in a Big West Women's Water Polo Championship quarterfinal.

With their fifth-straight win, the fourth-seeded Tritons advance and will take on top-seeded UC Irvine in a semifinal Saturday at 11 a.m. at UC Santa Barbara's Campus Pool. 

UC San Diego moved to 14-16 overall. UC Davis, the tourney's fifth seed, ends its season at 15-14.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Tied 8-8, the Tritons decided to pull starting goalkeeper Lexi Stahl and replace her with Layden as an extra attacker. Layden collected a pass from fellow freshman Sofia Munatones and buried a shot into the top-left corner of the cage. The shot, which came from four meters out, sailed by a defender's extended arm and beat the UCD goalie to her right.

Neither team led by more than one goal during the tightly-contested game. There were eight tie scores. UC San Diego led a total of five times, while UC Davis had the advantage on four occasions.

With 4:08 left in the fourth quarter, UCD's Alyssa Lengtat scored to put the Aggies up, 7-6. UC San Diego retaliated by netting two consecutive goals - the first on a five-meter penalty shot by Caroline Christl, the second on a power play strike by Munatones. With 29 ticks left on the clock, Ally Clague scored to knot the score yet again, this time at 8-8.

Layden's goal made it two-straight games that the Tritons took the win in the final seconds. On April 23 in La Jolla, Kendall Thomas scored with three seconds left to give UC San Diego a 10-9 win against San Diego State.

Three Tritons produced multiple goals in today's game including Christl with three and both Annika Arroyo and Munatones with two apiece. Munatones also added a pair of assists to her stat line. Courtney Okumura had three assists to bring her season total to 43, which ranks second among all Big West players.

Stahl had a stellar game in net, making 11 saves and recording her 45th steal of the year, the second-most by any Big West athlete.

For UC Davis, Noelle Wijnbelt rang up a four-goal total, while Clague scored twice. Kelly Hungerford finished with two assists. Sophia Noble had 11 stops in goal.

UC Davis held a slight 31-29 advantage in shots. UC San Diego was three-for-nine on power plays and UCD went one-for-five. 
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THE GAME-WINNING GOAL

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BRAD KREUTZKAMP INTERVIEW

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TRITON TIDBITS
• It was the fourth meeting between UC San Diego and UC Davis this season. The Tritons won the series 3-1. Three of the four games were decided by one goal.
• UC San Diego beat UC Davis by a single goal in a quarterfinal at the 2022 Big West Championship as well.
• UC San Diego's five-game win streak is its longest since March of 2022.
• UC Irvine defeated Cal State Fullerton 18-5 Friday morning to advance to the semifinal round.
• In other quarterfinals Friday, No. 2 seed Hawai'i defeated No. 7 seed CSUN 18-7 and No. 3 seed Long Beach State defeated No. 6 seed UC Santa Barbara 10-7.
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TOURNAMENT INFO
For a complete tournament schedule, ticket information, and live coverage links, 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.