The UCSD women’s water polo team started off the 2003 season solidly with convincing victories over University of Redlands and California Baptist on Feb 2. With the wins, the Tritons are 2-0.
Guardian file photo
In the first game, the Tritons dominated host Redlands 8-1. Redlands won the 2002 Division III National Championship, but was no match on Feb. 2; in the second game, UCSD made a clean sweep when it blew out California Baptist 10-3.
“”These were our first games of the season,”” said Triton head coach Larry Sanders. “”We came out a little bit sluggish, but after the first quarter, we started to break out and start playing water polo.””
The weekend was a showcase for the Triton seniors. Senior Elizabeth Keesey and senior co-captain Dana Tucker led the Tritons with five goals each in the two games. Senior Danielle Boyle, the other team captain, notched four goals and two steals. Senior Samara Silverman added three goals and six steals.
“”We got a lot of depth on the team this year,”” Sanders said. “”We should be able to get a lot of goals from different people.””
The Tritons’ goalies also came up with big games over the weekend. Andrea Cornford, Kaitlin Foe and Lauren Wells combined to stop eight of 12 opponents’ shots. The freshman Foe led the team with six saves.
The Tritons are a veteran team this season with all four of their leading scorers being seniors. They also have seven seniors and seven juniors among their 26-player roster. They know the schedule will get tougher than this as the season progresses. They will play tough clubs, such as the University of Michigan, on Feb. 7, and then host teams like UC Santa Barbara and rival Loyola Marymount University in the UC San Diego Arena Invitational this weekend.
“”It should be a good tournament. There are lot of good teams coming in,”” Sanders said.
UCSD finished last season ranked No. 12 nationally, and if it wins the Women’s Western Water Polo Association Championship in April, the team will gain an automatic berth to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships in May.
As evidenced by the Tritons’ solid play this weekend and the experience of their players, getting to the NCAA Championships could be a realistic goal.
