FULLERTON, Calif. -Â The UC San Diego women's water polo team earned its first Big West victory of the season Sunday by rolling Cal State Fullerton, 15-7, on the road in Orange County.
Freshman
Caitlin Stayt was the offensive spark plug, scoring a career-high five goals as one of three Tritons to register a hat trick in the game.Â
The win moved UC San Diego to 6-6 overall and 1-1 in Big West action. Cal State Fullerton dropped to 11-7 on the season and remained winless in the conference at 0-2.
The Tritons, who were coming off a loss at conference rival UC Irvine Friday, are ranked 13/14 in the most recent national polls. The Titans are 25th in one and not ranked in the other.Â
HOW IT HAPPENED
UC San Diego stayed in front the whole way.
The Tritons led 3-0 after the first quarter as
Abigail Schechter found the back of the net twice and Stayt began her scoring streak in the period.
UC San Diego out-scored Cal State Fullerton 4-2 in the second quarter to take a 7-2 advantage into the halftime break. Stayt notched her second goal and
Emily Cloherty tallied a pair of goals in the stanza.
The third quarter was all Tritons as they scored six times while holding the Titans scoreless.
Cascade Stensland got things started just 25 seconds in with her second goal of the game. Stayt registered two more as UC San Diego led 13-2 after three.
Stensland struck again to start the fourth, picking up another goal at the 7:44 mark to give the Tritons their largest lead of the game at 14-2. Cal State Fullerton scored four-consecutive times before Stayt converted on a power play, bringing the score to 15-6 Tritons. The final goal of the game came at 1:47 when Titan Kenzie Searle made good on a power play opportunity.
Bria Zwaschka and
Makana Fake split time in goal for the Tritons. Zwaschka finished with three saves, two steals, and an assist. Fake totaled four saves.
Sofia Moschetti led Cal State Fullerton in scoring with two goals. Five others had single goals. Renske Boxsem made nine saves in net.
HEAD COACH SARAH LIZOTTE
"This weekend's two games reflected both the challenges and the progress of a team in development. Competing against strong conference opponents and coming away with a win showed the growth and belief withing this group. We know this is a process, and we're focused on continuing to improve and evolve each time we step into the water."
TRITON TIDBITS
•
Abigail Schechter has scored in all 12 games this year with multiple goals in 10 of those contests. Her hat trick today was her sixth of the season.Â
• UC San Diego held a 32-23 lead in shots.
• Six of Cal State Fullerton's seven goals came during extra-player situations.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego continues Big West play on Feb. 28 when it hosts CSUN at noon.
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.
