SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The 10th-ranked UC San Diego women's water polo team opened its 2024 season Saturday with a split at UC Santa Barbara's Winter Invitational. The Tritons routed Ottawa, 23-5, before falling by a single goal, 10-9, to third-ranked UCLA.
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HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST #3 UCLA
Trailing by two at 9-7, UC San Diego's Lucia Doak struck for back-to-back goals to open the fourth quarter, bringing it even with 6:22 on the clock. Just 32 seconds later, UCLA's Becca Melanson scored to put the Bruins in front again. Her goal would stand as the game-winner as both squads went scoreless over the final 5:59.

Doak and Caroline Christl each registered a hat trick for the Tritons. Doak also added an assist to finish with a team-high four points. Courtney Okumura scored twice and Kendall Thomas, a 2024 All-Big West Preseason Coaches' Team selection, rounded out the scoring for UC San Diego. Sofia Munatones and twin sister Sydney had two assists apiece.

Lexi Stahl made seven saves in net for the Tritons.

UCLA got three goals from Lily Gess. Melanson had two and five other Bruins scored once. In goal, Lauren Steele made eight saves and Joey Niz made four.

UC San Diego held advantages in shots (33-25). UCLA had a .400 shooting percentage and the Tritons came in at .273. UC San Diego got little on its power play, scoring just once in seven opportunities. UCLA was three-for-nine (.333).

The game was close the whole way, but tied just three times at 1-1, 2-2, and 9-9. 

UC San Diego jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Thomas' goal at 6:07 of the first quarter. UCLA tied it at 5:14 with a goal by Molly Renner. Doak's first goal of the game gave the Tritons the lead, 2-1. However, the Bruins scored the game's next three goals to move in front by a 4-2 count. At that point, the Tritons played from behind until the fourth quarter, but matched the Bruins goal for goal six times during that span.
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HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST OTTAWA
UC San Diego scored early and often against Ottawa. The Tritons found the net nine times in the first quarter and five times in the second and held a 14-2 lead going into the halftime break. The second half was all Tritons as well as they put up nine more goals and held the Spirit scoreless until the final horn.

Six Tritons had multiple goals including Kendall Thomas (3), Sofia Munatones (2), Cascade Stensland (2), freshman Emily Cloherty (2), Sasha Frey (2), and Courtney Okumura (2). It was Cloherty's first game as a Triton. 

Lauren Bellavia had three assists while freshman Abigail Schechter also racked up three points with a goal and two assists in her Triton debut. Kenzie Larson had a goal and two assists as well, while Frey was also in the three-point club as she added an assist to go with her two goals.

Lexi Stahl and Katie Ward each played 16 minutes in goal for UC San Diego. Stahl made three saves while Ward was not called up to make any.

Tori Higginson and Jasmine Miller scored Ottawa's goals. Gabby Fisher (7) and Morgan Fenner (4) combined for 12 saves.

UC San Diego was three-for-four on the power play while Ottawa did not score in seven extra-woman opportunities. The Tritons had a massive, 45-11 lead in shots.
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WHAT HEAD COACH BRAD KREUTZKAMP HAD TO SAY
"I could not be more proud of this squad. Every time we fell behind UCLA, we battled back even stronger. This team played with confidence and relaxation that I haven't seen in quite some time. I can't wait for the season to really get going and see what kind of special things we can do."
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TRITON TIDBITS
• Five Tritons had four points today including Caroline Christl, Lucia Doak, Sofia Munatones, Courtney Okumura, and Kendall Thomas.
• UC San Diego went 2-2 at this tourney last year, defeating Cal State Monterey Bay and Pomona-Pitzer and losing against Indiana and UCLA.
• The score vs. UCLA at last year's Winter Invitational was 16-2 in favor of the Bruins.
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UP NEXT
UC San Diego plays two more matches at the Winter Invitational Sunday, taking on No. 25 Marist (9:15 a.m.) and Whittier (1 p.m.). For live stats links, head over to the team's schedule 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 84 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 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.