Courtesy: UC San Diego Athletics
LA JOLLA, Calif. – For the second consecutive game, the 13th-ranked UC San Diego women’s water polo team took down a ranked Big West Conference opponent at Canyonview Aquatics Center, this time defeating No. 9 Long Beach State 10-9 thanks to a four-goal fourth period.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tritons were slow to start in this one, as Long Beach State controlled play throughout the first half. Long Beach State scored the first goal of the game before netting three unanswered goals between the first and second periods, jumping out to a 4-1 lead with 5:30 remaining in the second period. UC San Diego responded though, going on a 3-1 run of their own to finish out the half, cutting the deficit to 5-4.
In the third period, Long Beach State controlled the tempo early, scoring two consecutive goals out of halftime to extend their lead to 7-4. Once again, the Tritons responded, finishing out the third period with a pair of goals to shave the deficit down to 7-6.
UC San Diego turned the match in their favor in the fourth period. After Long Beach State extended their lead to 8-6 with 7:12 remaining in the match, the Tritons unleashed three consecutive goals to take the lead. Courtney Okumura floated in a goal to bring the score to 8-7 before Ciara Franke scored her second and third goals of the match to give UC San Diego its first lead of the night. Elena Kotanchyan knotted the score at 9-9 for Long Beach State with 1:19 remaining, but Annika Arroyo scored in the final seconds of the match to secure the win for the Tritons.
TRITON TIDBITS
- Two-Way Players – Four of the Tritons that scored goals in this match also recorded a steal, helping the defense to shut down a top-10 team in the country in Long Beach State. Ciara Franke led the way on both ends with three goals and four steals, followed by Courtney Okumura, two goals and two steals, Holly Maine, one goal and two steals, and Taylor Onstott, one goal and one steal.
- Goal Streak Extended – Ciara Franke extended her consecutive goal streak to 16 games against Long Beach State with a team-leading three goals. She now has 42 goals on the year.
- Record Watch – Bennett Bugelli recorded ten more saves against Long Beach State, bringing her career total up to 746 career saves. In the win over UCSB at the Kalbus Invitational, Bugelli moved up to third all-time, passing Maryam Hadiashar, 697 saves, and Leona Mason, 701 saves. This season, she has already leapt up from ninth place after making 25 saves at the UCSB Winter Invite. Next on the list is Jefi Paulsen with 852 saves.
| Goalie Saves | Player Name | Years Played |
| 1,465 saves | Courtney Miller | 2013-2016 |
| 852 saves | Jefi Paulsen | 1987-1990 |
| 746 saves | Bennett Bugelli | 2017- |
| 701 saves | Leona Mason | 1993-1996 |
| 697 saves | Maryam Hadiashar | 1997-2000 |
- History with Every Win – With the win over Long Beach State, head coach Brad Kreutzkamp moved up to 256 career wins, after already having surpassed his former head coach and mentor Denny Harper earlier this season for the program record.
UP NEXT
UC San Diego (13-7, 2-0 BWC) at Aztec Invite
Sat.-Sun., March 12-13
Aztec Aquaplex – San Diego
Aztec Invite Information
