LA JOLLA, Calif. - UC San Diego played from behind for a majority of the game but kept it close with UC Santa Barbara, ultimately losing by a single goal, 10-9, on the final day of action at the Triton Invitational Sunday.

After going 1-3 during the three-day, 15-team tourney, UC San Diego stands at 6-4 for the season.

The Tritons are ranked ninth and the Gauchos are 12th in the latest AVCA National poll.

Third-ranked UCLA took down No. 5 Fresno State to win its fourth tourney title since 2010.

For complete results, visit the tournament page.   

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HOW IT HAPPENED
Triton Caroline Christl scored the first goal of the game on a power play at the 4:10 mark of the first quarter. The Gauchos answered by going back-to-back-to-back over the next two-plus minutes to take a 3-1 lead. One goal was on a power play, another came on a five-meter penalty shot.

At halftime, UC Santa Barbara held a 4-3 lead.

Both teams scored four times in the third and added two more apiece in the fourth.

UC San Diego trailed up until 4-3 when another Christl goal evened it up at 6:55 of the third frame. The teams traded the next four points to make it 6-6, at which point consecutive goals by UCSB's JoJo Scheer put the Gauchos back in front by two, 8-6, with just over a minute to play in the third. Christl netted her fourth goal of the morning to cut her team's deficit back to one, but Gaucho Annie Kuester made good on a penalty shot to move the score to 9-7 with under a minute expired in the fourth quarter.

The back-and-forth continued as Triton Courtney Okumura deposited the ball in the net at 5:58 of the fourth to draw UC San Diego back within one yet again, 9-8. It was reciprocated by the Gauchos' Emily Ferguson 16 seconds later to put UC San Diego down by a pair again, 10-8. 

The final goal of the game came from UC San Diego's Sofia Munatones during a power play halfway way through the period.

Both teams went scoreless over the final 3:56.

For the game, UC San Diego fired 11 more shots than UC Santa Barbara, 35-24. The Tritons scored four power play goals to the Gauchos' one.

UCSB sunk all three of its five-meter penalty shots. UC San Diego was one-for-one.

Paedrin Gillett made seven saves in net for the Tritons, while counterpart Madison Walker had 10.

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UP NEXT
UC San Diego next plays on Friday, Feb. 16, when it hosts Loyola Marymount at 6 p.m. Not only will it be Girl Scouts Night at Canyonview Aquatic Center, but the first 100 students in the venue will get a FREE beanie!

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TRITON TIDBITS
• Today's game between the Tritons and Gauchos was for 11th place in the tournament.
• Saturday, UC San Diego defeated California Baptist (13-9) and lost against No. 13 Long Beach State.
• The Tritons were downed by 14th-ranked Arizona State Friday.
• The tournament featured a stacked field with all but two of the 15 teams ranked in the national top-25.
• UCLA has won the Triton Invitational four times since 2010 (2024, 2022, 2020, 2011).
• The Tritons and Gauchos will meet again on April 7 in a Big West contest in Santa Barbara.

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FINAL TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
1. UCLA
2. Fresno State
3. Hawai'i
4. USC
5. Arizona State
6. Michigan
7. UC Irvine
8. UC Davis
9. LMU
10. Long Beach State
11. UC Santa Barbara
12. UC San Diego
13. San Diego State
14. Concordia
15. California Baptist

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TEAM TOURNEY RECORDS
1. UCLA (4-0)
2. Fresno State (2-2)
3. Hawai'i (3-1)
4. USC (2-2)
5. Arizona State (3-1)
6. Michigan (2-2)
7. UC Irvine (2-2)
8. UC Davis (1-3)
9. LMU (3-1)
10. Long Beach State (2-2)
11. UC Santa Barbara (2-2)
12. UC San Diego (1-3)
13. San Diego State (2-2)
14. Concordia (1-3)
15. California Baptist (0-4)

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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.