LA JOLLA, Calif. — A strong early defensive effort from No. 11 UC San Diego women's water polo allowed the Tritons to cruise to a 14-8 victory on Friday night over Cal State Fullerton.
 
The home win moved the Tritons to 12-10 on the season (2-1 Big West). Fullerton fell to 9-14 (0-3).
 
UC San Diego was led by Abigail Schechter, who scored a career-high five goals. Caroline Christl added three goals for the Tritons. Six different players combined for the team's 14 goals.
 
Abby Moll and Courtney Okumura both had two goals and three assists. Lexi Stahl made 10 saves in goal for the Tritons.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter with two power play goals and one on a penalty shot. Fullerton did not get on the board until the final 10 seconds of the first quarter, which ended with the Tritons up 3-1.
 
The advantage grew for the home side in the second quarter as the Tritons outscored Fullerton 4-2. Christl had two of her goals in the period, which ended on a goal from Okumura that just beat the halftime buzzer by 0.4 seconds. Three of the four Triton goals in the second came with the two teams at even strength. UC San Diego led 7-3 at the break.
 
After halftime the Tritons picked up where they left off, scoring four goals in the third quarter off four Fullerton exclusions. The scoring included two goals from Schechter and a goal from Olivia Obando, her third of the season.
 
The Tritons had an 11-5 advantage heading into the final quarter. Both teams scored three in that period to see the game end 14-8. The three Triton goals came from three different players: Schechter, Moll and Kyla Bruhn.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• Friday was UC San Diego's first Big West home win of the season.
• Fullerton is just the third opponent the Tritons have faced this year that is not nationally ranked (22 games).
• The Tritons have scored double-digit goals in five-straight games.

UP NEXT
The Tritons have a doubleheader at home tomorrow (Saturday, March 15). The team welcomes No. 7 Harvard at 2:00 p.m. and No. 14 Michigan at 6:00 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 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Divisions I and II.