FRESNO, Calif. - The
12th-ranked UC San Diego women's water polo team got its season started this weekend at Fresno State's Polopalooza tournament.
Against a top-notch field, the Tritons went 1-3 with a win against No. 18 San Jose State (13-12) and losses to No. 2 Stanford (4-15), No. 4 California (8-24), and No. 9 Fresno State (9-14).
Caroline Christl netted a team-best seven goals, scoring at least once in all four games.
Kendall Thomas finished her weekend with five goals. Three Tritons totaled four goals including
Lucia Doak,
Sydney Munatones, and
Abigail Schechter. Doak struck once in each of the contests.
Munatones also dished out three assists, giving her seven points for the tourney.
In goal,
Bria Zwaschka made 24 saves and recorded eight steals while playing in all four games. She earned her second career win against San Jose State.
Lexi Stahl had eight saves over 40 minutes of play.
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST No. 2 STANFORD
Stanford scored five goals in the opening quarter and another five in the second. The Tritons found the back of the net just once in the first half and were down 10-1 at the break.
The Cardinal out-scored the Tritons 5-3 in the second half, with UC San Diego winning the fourth quarter.
Stanford scored five more times in the second half - four in the third and one in the fourth. The Tritons scored once in the third and twice in the fourth, winning the final frame 2-1.
The Cardinal scored the first nine goals of the game and held a lead the entire time.
Sophia Munatones scored twice while Christl and Doak each scored single goals.
Stahl made three saves over 24 minutes in net.
Eleanor Facey and Jenna Flynn scored three goals each for Stanford.
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST No. 4 CALIFORNIA
The Bears won all four quarters. They tallied the game's first two goals and stayed in front from there.
Freshman
Evelyn Burns scored her first two career goals in the game - one in the second an another in the third.
Six other Tritons scored once.
Cal got four goals from both Elena Flynn and Janna Tauscher.
Stahl and
Bria Zwaschka split time in net and made five and four saves respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST No. 18 SAN JOSE STATE
Both teams kept pace in the opening half. In the first quarter, they traded goals and were locked at 4-4.
It was more of the same in the second frame as the Tritons and Spartans each found the net twice, setting up a 6-6 deadlock going into halftime.
The third quarter proved to be the decision maker as UC San Diego outscored San Jose State, 3-2. Thomas accounted for two scores and freshman
Holly Roberts notched her first goal as a Triton.
With UC San Diego ahead 9-8 heading into the final quarter, both teams scored four more times in the fourth period.
Christl and Thomas both registered hat tricks in the victory. Thomas also assisted on a goal and finished with four points.
Zwaschka made seven saves to earn the victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED AGAINST No. 9 FRESNO STATE
The game was tight early on. The Bulldogs scored the first goal less than a minute in, but back-to-back goals from Sydney and
Sofia Munatones put UC San Diego in front, 2-1. Fresno State answered with a power play goal to even it at 2-2. Christl scored to put the Tritons back in front with just under five minutes left in the first. Another power play score by the Bulldogs brought it to 3-3 heading into the second quarter.
Christl moved UC San Diego back in front with a power play goal 36 seconds into the second period. However, Fresno State scored the game's next four goals, all before the second quarter ended, to lead 7-4 at halftime.
The Bulldogs out-scored the Tritons 4-3 in the third and 3-2 in the fourth to ice the victory.
Christl and
Sydney Munatones had two goals each for UC San Diego. Zwaschka set two career-highs with 13 saves and three steals.
Hailey Andress and Abbey Simshauser each had four goals for Fresno State.
WHAT HEAD COACH BRAD KREUTZKAMP HAD TO SAY
"We knew this would be one of the toughest starts of any season we've had in recent memory, and it proved to be just that. I'm super proud of how we responded to the physicality of the games, but we definitely need to work on a few things. This is a veteran squad, so I know that they'll do it and we're willing to put the work in."
UP NEXT
UC San Diego plays two more tournament games on the road next week. The Tritons will see San Jose State again as well as Fresno Pacific at the Lancer Joust, hosted by California Baptist. The following week, they host the annual Triton Invitational at Canyonview Aquatic Center.
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.
