In a rare triple-header last weekend, the UCSD women’s water polo team picked up a pair of 13-5 victories over Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont McKenna College to improve to 9-5 on the season.
In what was an extremely long day for UCSD, the Tritons participated in their annual alumni match at 11 a.m., then rounded out their day with a 5 p.m. game against Claremont McKenna.
In its first game after the alumni match-up, UCSD jumped ahead of Pomona-Pitzer in the first quarter, dominating the Sagehens and taking a 4-1 lead.
However, Pomona-Pitzer responded in the second quarter and outscored the Tritons 3-2, to decrease the deficit to 6-4.
But after the half, it was all UCSD and the Tritons jumped all over the Sagehens 5-0 and 2-1 in the third and fourth quarters to secure the victory.
The Triton offense played the team game — UCSD had eight different players contribute with goals. Leading the way for UCSD was junior Samara Silverman and sophomore Meris Bantilan-Smith, who each tallied three goals to outscore Pomona-Pitzer.
Freshman driver Jessica Wong added two goals to round out the multiple scorers for the Tritons, while UCSD goalie Andrea Cornford had strong play throughout the game and finished with eight saves.
Sagehen Joy Haviland contributed two goals to lead the scoring for Pomona-Pitzer.
The third game had the Tritons seeing deja vu, ahead of their opponents again 4-1 in the first quarter. This time, however, UCSD made the victory more emphatic, scoring three goals to Claremont McKenna’s one in the second and third quarters, jumping ahead 10-3. The fourth quarter saw the Tritons tally three goals, while the Stags managed two for the 13-5 final score.
UCSD generously spread around the offense once more, with nine different Tritons scoring en route to the rout over Claremont McKenna. Senior Courtney Hemmerly and junior Danielle Boyle each posted hat tricks in the game, while Tucker, Silverman, Bantilan-Smith, Elizabeth Keesey, Danielle Bourret, Emma Kudritzki and Natalie Best each contributed individual goals. Cornford was strong for the Tritons as goalie, recording four saves.
The Tritons continue their grueling schedule next weekend with tough doubleheaders against UCLA and Princeton on Saturday, then UC Irvine and San Diego State University on Sunday to conclude their nine-game homestand. However, they are rewarded with a trip to Honolulu, Hawaii, from March 27 to March 31 to participate in the University of Hawaii tournament.
