DAVIS, Calif. – Six Tritons scored multiple goals as UC San Diego defeated CSUN, 18-11, Friday in the opening round of the Big West Women's Water Polo Championship.

The fourth-seeded Tritons advance to Saturday's semifinal round and will face Hawai'i, the top seed, at noon for a spot in the conference title game. The win moved UC San Diego to 18-11 on the season.

The fifth-seeded Matadors' season comes to a close with an overall record of 18-15.

UC Davis is hosting the championship at Schaal Aquatics Center on campus.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego got on it early, scoring seven goals in each of the first two quarters to take a 14-5 lead into halftime. CSUN won the second half 6-4, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit.

Caroline Christl, Abigail Schechter, and Kendall Thomas each registered a hat trick for the Tritons. Lucia Doak, Courtney Okumura, and Cascade Stensland all scored twice, while Grayson Mix, Abby Moll, and Sydney Munatones had single goals.

Lexi Stahl was called upon to make nine saves in net for UC San Diego. She also assisted on a goal and made two steals, upping her season total to a team-high 28.

Katie Ward, who played the final eight minutes of the game in the cage, made two stops.

UC San Diego scored the first three goals of the game, coming from Thomas, Okumura, and Christl. CSUN netted its first goal of the contest on a Dorottya Telek strike mid-way through the first quarter, but the Tritons out-scored the Matadors 4-1 over the second half of the period.

The second quarter saw UC San Diego score five-consecutive goals to take a 10-goal lead at 12-2. Three of the goals came on successful five-meter penalty shots by Doak, Christl, and Schechter.

Stensland's two goals came in the first 2:05 of the third period, the second coming on a power play that brought the score to 16-5. The 11-goal lead, which the Tritons owned twice in the second half, was their largest margin of the afternoon.

Trailing 17-6 after a Schechter goal with 3:58 left in the third quarter, CSUN was able to find the back of the net four-consecutive times between 3:09 of the third and 6:24 of the fourth that brought the Matadors back within seven at 17-10. However, it was too little, too late.

Telek finished with five goals and an assist. Tatiana Smeltzer scored twice, while Shelby Hovanesian had a goal and and two assists and Ana Pal collected a goal and an assist. Meghan Lopez and Samantha Bright each had three saves in goal.

UC San Diego held a slight 32-31 lead in shots. However, the Tritons posted a .563 shot percentage while the Matadors finished at .355.
In addition, UC San Diego was 4-for-8 on power play opportunities and CSUN went 2-for-7.
 

WHAT HEAD COACH BRAD KREUTZKAMP HAD TO SAY


TRITON TIDBITS
• It is the third-straight season that UC San Diego has advanced to the semifinal round.
• The 18 goals were one short of the Big West Championship record, set by Hawai'i earlier in the day.
• Caroline Christl has scored at least once in 14 of her last 15 outings.
• Christl has tallied multiple goals in 19 games this season.
• Kendall Thomas has scored 13 goals over her last three games.
• It was the 15th multi-goal game for Thomas in 2024.
• Abigail Schechter's three goals are a career-high for the freshman.
• The Tritons defeated the Matadors 16-7 in La Jolla in early March.

UP NEXT
UC San Diego goes up against Hawai'i in a semifinal on Saturday at noon. The Rainbow Warriors defeated Cal State Fullerton, the eight seed, Friday to move on in the championship.

During the regular season, Hawai'i earned an 18-8 win over UC San Diego in Honolulu.

Saturday's semifinal can be watched live on ESPN+($) and can also be followed with live stats.

BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE/RESULTS
First Round - April 26
• No. 1 seed Hawai'i 19, No. 8 seed Cal State Fullerton 6
• No. 4 seed UC San Diego 18, No. 5 seed CSUN 11
• No. 2 seed UC Irvine 9, No. 7 seed UC Davis 6
• No. 3 seed Long Beach State 8, No. 6 seed UC Santa Barbara 6

Semifinals - April 27
• No. 1 seed Hawai'i vs. No. 4 seed UC San Diego, 12 p.m.
• No. 2 seed UC Irvine vs. No. 3 Long Beach State, 2 p.m.

Championship - April 28
• Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 12 p.m.
 
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.