HONOLULU - Despite hat tricks from two Tritons, the 14th-ranked UC San Diego women's water polo team dropped a 13-9 Big West decision against No. 6 Hawai'i Saturday evening at the Duke Kahanamoku Athletic Complex on the island of O'ahu.
UC San Diego dropped to 7-8 on the season and 2-2 in conference action. The Rainbow Wahine improved to 10-3 and 3-0.
Picked No. 1 in the Big West preseason poll, the Rainbow Wahine scored the game's first three goals and stayed ahead the rest of the way.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Hawai'i led 3-0 halfway through the opening quarter. One goal came on a power play, another on a five-meter penalty shot. The Rainbow Wahine never relinquished their lead the rest of the way.
UC San Diego got three goals each from freshman
Anna Fazioli and senior
Cascade Stensland. Junior
Emily Cloherty also finished with three points on a goal and two assists.
Abigail Schechter had a goal and assisted on another.
In net for the Tritons,
Bria Zwaschka made six saves and added four steals, matching her career best for swipes.
Ema Vernoux found the net five times for Hawai'i. Three other players had two goals apiece. Daisy Logtens made 10 saves for the Wahine.
UC San Diego converted just twice on eight power play opportunities.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego next plays on Friday, March 13, when Big West rival Long Beach State visits Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla. The game is set for a 6 p.m. start and tickets are available through the
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.
