IRVINE, Calif. -Â No. 13 UC San Diego women's water polo was defeated by No. 6 California, 13-4, Friday on the opening day of the Barbara Kalbus Invitational at UC Irvine.
UC San Diego is now 6-6 while Cal stands at 7-1.
The Tritons will next face Biola on Saturday at 11:45 a.m. Depending on results, they will play either Arizona State or Pomona-Pitzer later that afternoon.
The three-day tournament concludes Sunday. Opponents and game times will be decided after Saturday's action.Â
The 16-team tournament field features 13 nationally-ranked squads, including nine of the top 10-ranked teams in the country including #1 UCLA, #2 Hawai'i, #3 Fresno State, #4 Stanford, #5 USC, #6 California, #7 Arizona State, #8 Michigan, #10 UC Irvine, #12 Long Beach State, #13 UC San Diego, #13 Indiana, #13 UC Santa Barbara, Biola, Cal State Fullerton, and Pomona-Pitzer.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Cal got off to a quick start by scoring the game's first four goals. The Bears would stay in front for the rest of the way.
Trailing 4-0,
Grayson Mix put UC San Diego on the board with 19 seconds left in the first quarter.
The second quarter saw Cal tally the first two goals to take a 6-1 lead.
Courtney Okumura found the net for UC San Diego at 1:14. Just 18 seconds later, the Bears answered with a goal to put them ahead 7-2 heading into the halftime break.
In the third quarter, California out-scored UC San Diego 4-1 for the second time in the game. The Triton goal came from freshman
Emily Cloherty on a power play.
UC San Diego got one goal in the fourth stanza when freshman
Abigail Schechter scored on a five-meter penalty shot.
Tritons
Annika Arroyo and
Allie Bartholomew each had an assist in the game.
In goal, senior
Katie Ward established a new career-high by making 10 saves for UC San Diego.
Cal's Elena Flynn registered four goals. Isabel Williams made 14 stops in net.
Both the Tritons and Bears totaled 32 shots. UC San Diego held a 15-10 advantage in steals.
TRITON TIDBITS
•
Courtney Okumura's goal gave her 14 for the season, the fourth-most on the team.
•
Emily Cloherty's six goals this season are the most by a freshman on the team.
• The last time the Tritons were held to four goals or less was on Feb. 4, 2023, in a 15-3 loss to UCLA.
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.
