LA JOLLA, CALIF. -Â In non-conference action Saturday, the 16th-ranked UC San Diego women's water polo team dropped a 12-6 decision against No. 12 Harvard at Canyonview Aquatic Center.
With their fourth straight loss the Tritons fell to 7-10 overall. The Crimson improved to 19-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Harvard scored the game's first three goals and went on to hold a lead the rest of the way. The Crimson out-scored the Tritons 9-5 over the second and third quarters and UC San Diego wasn't able to come back late.
The first goal of the game came from Harvard at the 3:32 mark of the opening quarter. That would prove to be the lone goal of the frame.
Harvard went up 3-0 in the second quarter with a goal at 6:39 followed by a five-meter penalty shot conversion at 4:02.
Abigail Schechter got UC San Diego on the board with a power play strike at 3:26.
Still in the second, Harvard found the net two straight times before Schechter struck again with just 10 seconds left until halftime, making it 5-2 heading into the break.
In the third, the Crimson piled it on with five goals to UC San Diego's three. Two of the Triton goals came from
Emily Cloherty with the third scored by
Cascade Stensland with just over a minute remaining.
To close the third quarter, Lucy Berkman scored with five seconds left to put Harvard up 10-5, its largest lead of the game.
Just three goals were potted in the final quarter.
Sofia Munatones got the Tritons back within four when she scored a power play goal at 7:10. However, Harvard scored the game's final two goals.
The Crimson held a 32-27 edge in shots. They went 2-for-6 on the power play, while the Tritons went 3-for-8.
Cloherty finished with three points that included the two goals plus an assist.
Bria Zwaschka made five saves for the Tritons, one of those coming on a five-meter penalty shot.
Harvard got a pair of hat tricks from Beatrice Hearey and Niki Piovan. Piovan contributed five points by adding two assists. Ella Schneider also had five points with a goal and four assists. Orli Cooper made 15 saves and added three steals in a strong defensive effort.
UP NEXT
To cap off four games over three days, UC San Diego takes on No. 9 Indiana and No. 18 San Jose State Sunday at San Diego State's Aztec Invite. The contests are set for 10:20 a.m. and 1:40 p.m. at the Aztec Aquaplex. Both games can be followed on
YouTube as well as
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.
