LA JOLLA, Calif. — The final Big West contest of the season ended on Friday night with a 13-11 home win for No. 9 UC San Diego over No. 18 UC Santa Barbara. The Tritons moved to 15-13 on the year and 4-3 in Big West play, while the Gauchos fell to 16-12 and 2-5 in The Big West.
 
Caroline Christl, Courtney Okumura and Kendall Thomas all had three goals to power the home side. Seven different Tritons would find the scoresheet. Freshman goalkeeper Makana Fake played for just the second time this season and made 11 saves.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons scored the first two goals in the game's opening two minutes before UC Santa Barbara fought back with a three-goal-flurry in just 60 seconds. Both teams then traded goals as the first quarter ended 4-4. All four of the Tritons' goals came from a different player.
 
UC San Diego started the second quarter strong as well, out-scoring the visitors 4-1 in the first two minutes to take an 8-5 lead. The Gauchos would settle in as the quarter progressed, scoring two and keeping the Tritons out of the net to cut the score to 8-7 at the break.
 
Thomas helped the Tritons get back on the front foot after halftime, scoring two of her goals to open the third period. UC Santa Barbara did not score until there were five seconds left in the quarter, with the Tritons ahead 11-8 entering the fourth.
 
Okumara and Christl both got their third goals of the game in the final period as UC San Diego kept the Gauchos at bay. The visitors got a late goal to out-score the Tritons 3-2 in the fourth, but the Tritons did enough on both sides of the ball to see out a comfortable victory.
 
TRITON TIDBITS

• The Tritons have finished with a winning conference record in all five seasons since making the transition to Division I.
• The Tritons are now 15-5 on the year when scoring double-digit goals.
• Caroline Christl has scored three goals in four-straight games.

UP NEXT
The Tritons close the regular season tomorrow when they host No. 21 San Diego State at Canyonview Aquatic Center for Senior Day and the Harper Cup. The contest will begin at 12:00 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+, with live stats available on The FOSH. Tickets can be purchased in advance from Triton Box Office.
 
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.