MEN’S LACROSSE
In a showdown for the third seed in the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League playoffs, the Tritons prevailed over the 8th-ranked Arizona Wildcats 10-6, on April 11. UCSD freshman Nick Dean led the Tritons with six points, in addition to two goals and four assists, to give the Tritons a crucial victory over the Wildcats.
The two teams came out onto the field fired up; UCSD had the upper hand, though, since the Tritons were playing in front of a rowdy home crowd that exceeded over 300 fans at RIMAC field.
In the beginning of the game, the crowd had little effect on the Wildcats, however, who completely dominated ball possession for the first five minutes of the contest. Arizona took an early 2-0 lead with 12:24 remaining in the quarter.
But Arizona’s good fortune ran out quickly; the Wildcats were flagged for a total of seven penalties in the first half, and never regained the momentum that helped them dominate in the early goings. Dean and the rest of the Tritons took advantage of Arizona’s misfortunes, and UCSD rallied back with three goals in the first quarter and four goals in the second quarter to take a 7-4 lead going into halftime.
The final two quarters turned into a defensive battle; The Wildcat defense did all it could to keep the Triton attack in check, and UCSD’s new netminder Jody Hochstein made six point-blank saves in the third quarter.
Even with their offense having trouble possessing the ball, Arizona’s defense was able to hold the Tritons from gaining no more than a four-goal lead, and went into the final quarter trailing UCSD 8-5. Stepping up their game, UCSD defenseman Chris Washington and the Tritons defense held Arizona’s offense to just one goal in the final quarter.
With 4:05 remaining in the game, UCSD’s lead attackman Ross Stensrud scored on a bull dodge from the bottom left corner to secure the victory for the Tritons.
“”We received a strong all-around effort from everyone on the team,”” Stensrud said. “”I believe this is the first game in this season that we were able to put together four quarters of quality lacrosse. I think this game showed that we could compete with anyone in the [United States Lacrosse Intercollegiate Association].””
On April 12, the Tritons played against Arizona State in a game ruled by UCSD from the start. The day was highlighted by Stensrud’s six-goal performance in his last home game for UCSD. His offensive effort helped lift the Tritons to an easy 16-5 win.
After clinching the third seed in the WCLL South Division playoffs, UCSD will face Chapman in the WCLL quarterfinals this upcoming weekend. Men’s lacrosse has also been steadily climbing the USLIA National Collegiate Rankings; UCSD is now placed at No. 17, up from last week’s No. 23 ranking.
WOMEN’S ULTIMATE
Last weekend, the UCSD women’s ultimate team traveled to Claremont McKenna for a one-day sectionals tournament, deciding who will proceed on to the regional and national championships. Being the reigning national champions, UCSD was favored to move on, and made sure not to disappoint.
UCSD went 4-0 on the day, beating all of its opponents with relative ease and placing first out of the five teams in their section. The wins included a 13-2 win over Claremont, a 13-1 win over Arizona and a 13-5 win over UC Santa Barbara.
Handler Cherie Lim played consistently strong, in addition to rookies Jessie Dzundza and Alia Schoettgen.
Once again, UCSD proved itself a strong competitor and looks forward to the regionals tournament in two weeks, which will be held at Muir Fields. If successful there, women’s ultimate will move on to the national tournament in Austin, Tex., in the hopes of retaining its crown for another year.
WOMEN’S RUGBY
After finishing its season undefeated, the UCSD women’s rugby team is headed to the collegiate playoffs to compete against the best teams in the nation. UCSD was chosen to host the Sweet Sixteen bracket on April 19 and April 20 at Warren Field, starting at 11 a.m.
UCSD is currently ranked No. 7 nationally. The team will face No. 10 North Carolina on April 19, and will play the winner of the match between No. 15 Dartmouth and No. 2 Navy on April 20.
The winner of the bracket will advance to the Final Four, which will be held at Stanford University on May 3 and 4.
BADMINTON
The UCSD badminton team is set to host the National Championships this upcoming weekend, a final test for a team that remains undefeated this year. Many colleges from around the nation are set to attend the three-day tournament, taking place from April 18 to April 20 in the Main Gym and the RIMAC Auxiliary Gym.
Visitors are welcome to watch the tournament. Competition runs from 6 to 11 p.m. on April 18, and it will pick up again at 7 a.m. and last until 10 p.m. on April 19. Playoffs and finals will take place on the last day between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Main Gym.
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 18
Badminton National Championships @ Main Gym, RIMAC Aux. Gym (ends April 20)
Dancesport @ San Francisco Open (ends April 20)
April 19
Men’s Lacrosse @ Chapman, 7 p.m.
Cycling @ UC Santa Cruz (ends April 20)
Women’s Rugby National Playoffs @ Warren Field (ends April 20)
Men’s Ultimate Sectionals @ Cal Poly SLO (ends April 20)
— Compiled by Anu Kumar
Sports Editor
