SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — A late four-goal run wasn't enough as UC San Diego saw its season come to an end Saturday following a 12-6 semifinal loss to UC Irvine at the Big West Women's Water Polo Championship.
The 12th-ranked and fourth-seeded Tritons conclude their 2023 campaign at 14-17.
UCI, ranked fourth nationally and the tournament's top seed, improved to 19-6. The Anteaters will play for the Big West title Sunday against Hawai'i. The Rainbow Wahine are ranked fifth and seeded second in the conference tournament.
It was the second-straight season that UC San Diego advanced to the conference semifinal round.
UC Santa Barbara is hosting the championship at Campus Pool.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Kendall Thomas scored the first goal of the game just 16 seconds in to give UC San Diego its lone lead of the day. A minuter later, Jessica Lynch scored to even it at 1-1 and ignite a five-goal run by the Anteaters. Nioka Thomas scored three times during the run, which included back-to-back goals in the opening quarter.
For UC San Diego,
Courtney Okumura scored her first of four goals at the 4:03 mark of the second quarter.
UC Irvine owned a 7-2 advantage at halftime.
The Anteaters continued to put the pressure on as Thomas opened the second half with her fourth goal of the game. A score by Kili Skibbi put UC Irvine up by seven goals, 9-2, the team's largest lead of the morning.
With 2:07 to go in the third quarter, Okumura started, and ended, a four-goal run by UC San Diego. Thomas followed with her second goal before the third quarter ended. Okumura completed her hat trick just 26 seconds into the fourth period and scored yet again at 6:42, getting the Tritons back within three goals at 9-6.
Over the final 5:02 of the game, the Anteaters were able to put three more goals on the board. Elena Flynn scored on a five-meter penalty shot while Libby Alexander tallied a goal at 4:04 and Jensine Bugelli closed out the game's scoring 21 seconds before the final horn sounded.
Okumura finished with six points on the four goals and a pair of assists. It was her second six-point effort this season.
Sydney Munatones had two assists while Thomas and
Annika Arroyo both had single assists.
Alexander, Flynn, and Lynch all had two goals for UC Irvine. Lynch also assisted on three goals.
In goal, UC San Diego's
Lexi Stahl made four saves while UCI's Erin Tharp turned aside 12 Triton bids.
UC San Diego out-shot UC Irvine 26-24. The Anteaters went 0-for-4 on the power play.
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BRAD KREUTZKAMP INTERVIEW
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TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE/RESULTS
Quarterfinals - Friday, April 28
No. 1 seed UC Irvine 18, No. 8 seed Cal State Fullerton 5
No. 4 seed UC San Diego 9, No. 5 seed UC Davis 8
No. 2 seed Hawai'i 18, No. 7 seed CSUN 7
No. 3 seed Long Beach State 10, No. 6 seed UC Santa Barbara 7
Semifinals - Saturday, April 29
No. 4 seed UC San Diego 6, No. 1 seed UC Irvine 12
No. 3 seed Long Beach State 12, No. 2 seed Hawai'i 13
Final - Sunday, April 30
Noon | No. 2 seed Hawai'i vs. No. 1 seed UC Irvine
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TRITON TIDBITS
•
Courtney Okumura's four goals equaled her career-high (4/21/22 vs. UC Davis).
• Over two tournament games, Okumura registered four goals and five assists.
• UC Irvine won both meetings against UC San Diego in 2023.
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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 83 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 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Divisions I and II.
