IRVINE, Calif. -Â The UC San Diego women's water polo team lost its first Big West game of the season Friday, falling by a 14-10 score at UC Irvine.
With its fifth-consecutive loss, the Tritons fell to 5-6 in 2026. The Anteaters are now 5-9 overall and 1-0 in conference action.
UC San Diego came into the game ranked No. 13/14 in the two national polls. UC Irvine is No. 9/10.Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC Irvine scored the first goal of the game on a power play 46 seconds in and would never trail.
Another Anteater extra-man goal at 3:09 of the first put them up 4-1, but the Tritons rallied to even the the score with three-straight goals. The first came from a five-meter penalty shot conversion by
Abigail Schechter, which she followed up with a power play strike with just under two minutes left in the opening quarter. With 46 seconds remaining,
Emily Cloherty tied it at 4-4, but UCI's Vivian Bailey answered 18 seconds later to make it 5-4 and the Anteaters stayed in front the rest of the way.
Behind 7-4 early in the second, UC San Diego got two straight goals from Cloherty - both coming on power plays - to get her team back within one, 7-6, at 4:37 of the second. That would prove to be the final time the Tritons would draw that close.
Both squads struck for three goals each in the third quarter. The final one came from Triton
Evelyn Burns on a penalty shot that moved the score to 12-9.
UC San Diego didn't find the back of the net in the fourth stanza and UCI was able to add two more to its total.
The Tritons struggled on the power play, scoring just once in nine extra-player situations. Conversely, the Anteaters scored on 50 percent of their chances, going six-for-12. UC San Diego held a 28-26 advantage in shots.Â
Seven different Tritons scored in the game, with Schechter finding the net three times. Cloherty scored twice and five other players potting single goals, including both Sofia and
Sydney Munatones.
Bria Zwaschka made eight saves and added three steals and an assist in goal for UC San Diego.
Anteater Lauren Hett put together a complete game, finishing with seven points on five goals and a pair of assists. Sara Naulty followed with five points (two goals, three assists) and Michelle Urkov racked up four points (two goals, two assists).
CJ Sirls (4) and Annie Peak (5) combined for nine saves for UC Irvine.
TRITON TIDBITS
•
Abigail Schechter has scored in all 11 games this year with multiple goals in nine of those contests. Her hat trick tonight was her fifth of the season.Â
• UC San Diego is now 0-2 against UC Irvine this season as the Tritons were defeated by the Anteaters, 14-9, on Feb. 1 during the Triton Invitational in La Jolla.
• Four of UC San Diego's goals were scored on five-meter penalty shots.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego plays a second-straight Big West game on the road Sunday as it takes on No. 25 Cal State Fullerton at noon. The match can be followed with a
live broadcast on ESPN+ as well as with
FOSH Live Stats.
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.
