WATER POLO ‘mdash; The No. 19 Triton women relieved some pent-up stress and frustration this past weekend at the UC Santa Barbara Invitational tournament. Against top-notch in-state competition, UCSD (5-11, 1-2 Western Water Polo Association) finished the tournament with a 2-2 record and returned home with renewed hopes for the remainder of the season.
In their first matchup, the Tritons faced off against Bucknell University, from Pennsylvania, and steadily overcame the Bisons 10-7. Through two quarters, the score was tied at two, but a relentless scoring drive led by senior attacker and team captain Sydney Gstettenbauer, who had four goals in the game, helped the Tritons shut out their opponents in the second quarter and score three unanswered goals, taking a 5-2 lead into halftime.
‘We were able to do some stuff that we should have been doing all season,’ Gstettenbauer said. ‘We eliminated some of our mistakes and played well.’
Bucknell was not ready to tuck tail and call it quits after a poor second quarter showing, however. The Bisons returned with a scoring flurry of their own, closing the gap to 7-6 by the fourth quarter. Desperate to avoid another fourth-quarter meltdown ‘mdash; an-all-too-common occurence this season ‘mdash; junior goalkeeper Markayla Quane allowed just one goal in the quarter while the Tritons scored three times to earn a three-point victory. Freshman attacker Jessica Tran and junior attacker Audra Bloom each scored two goals in the match.
In their second match on Saturday, the Tritons faced No. 6 San Diego State in what proved to be an overwhelming battle. The Aztecs came out strong in the match, outscoring the Tritons 5-2 in the first quarter en route to a 9-3 halftime lead. The break provided little relief and the Aztecs continued their dominating performance in the second half, ending the match in a 16-6 blowout. Leading scorer Gstettenbauer was shut down in the game, unable to connect on any of her few shot attempts.
‘They had a person guarding me really tough through the game,’ Gstettenbauer said.
With Gstettenbauer contained, freshman hole set Kirsten Bates’ three goals were not nearly enough to boost UCSD’s anemic offense.
On the second day of competition, the Tritons wrangled with No. 13 UCSB. The Gauchos appeared to have an early edge, taking a 2-1 lead in the first quarter; however, the Tritons fought back to tie the score at three by halftime. It was a close third quarter, with the Gauchos outscoring the Tritons by a slim 3-2 margin.
The Gauchos’ offense proved too much of a force for the Tritons to deal with in the final period. Despite multiple goals by offensive standouts Tran and Gstettenbauer, the Tritons fell 8-5 in their first match on Sunday.
The Tritons were given an opportunity for sweet revenge in their final game of the tournament, facing No. 16 Cal State Long Beach for the fourth time this season. Having lost three straight times to the 49ers, the Tritons were seeking redemption.
‘We really needed to win this one,’ Gstettenbauer said. ‘They play dirty.’
The hours of reviewing tape in practice from previous games against the 49ers paid off as an outpour of Triton goals dominated the second period, giving the team a 6-2 lead at the halftime. The Tritons came out tired in the third quarter, and the 49ers looked poised for another comeback, similar to their earlier confrontation in the UC Irvine tournament this season. Long Beach outscored the Tritons 5-1 in the third quarter and was pushing for another overtime game or last minute victory. The Tritons’ defense did not play nearly as well as in the first half, however. With just enough of an offensive push, UCSD used its big first half lead to hold off the 49ers for the 11-10 victory Sunday afternoon.
Next, the Tritons face Occidental College on March 12 at 3 p.m. at Canyonview
Pool.
Readers can contact Tyler Nelson at [email protected].