WATER POLO ‘mdash; With the season winding down, the Tritons, who played their final home game and faced their archrival in back-to-back contests last week, would have preferred a happier finish. In an outstanding matchup against No. 11 Loyola Marymount University on April 9, the Tritons fell short of an upset by just four and a half minutes. UCSD then faced No. 13 University of Michigan on Senior Day, aggressively attacking the Wolverines throughout the match before Michigan snagged the victory in the fourth quarter.
Throughout the season, the Tritons have battled through inexperience at key positions, but on Saturday UCSD’s veteran players were faced with the task of dealing with strong emotions.
‘It feels weird,’ senior captain Sydney Gstettenbauer said of her final home game. ‘It doesn’t really feel like I’m leaving. We still have some games left so it’s not like it’s really over yet.’
The Wolverines relentlessly shut down Gstettenbauer, who has been UCSD’s top performer this season. The attacker scored her only goal of the game in its closing seconds ‘mdash; long after the outcome had been decided.
Both teams played a tight game through much of the contest; a performance lapse in the second quarter was the Tritons’ undoing. From the get go, the game looked to be a defensive matchup, with neither offense clicking in the first quarter. The University of Michigan finally scored with 1:51 left in the first on a shot that just barely crawled through the posts. Sophomore utility Nadine Shnayderman returned the favor, scoring a Triton goal with 40 seconds left in the quarter.
Both teams scored back-to-back goals to start the second period before Michigan went on a four-goal run, taking a 6-2 halftime lead.
‘When they take out our best scorer, the other players need to find opportunities to make shots,’ head coach Larry Sanders said. ‘The openings are there because the defense is focusing on [Gstettenbauer] and someone needs to find that open shot.’
The Tritons took that advice to heart in the third quarter, netting the first two goals ‘mdash; by senior two-meter defender Rebecca Gearty and junior attacker Audra Bloom ‘mdash; and cutting the Michigan lead to 6-4. Michigan scored again, but sophomore attacker Hanalei Crowell answered with a goal to end the third.
UCSD could not retain the momentum from its third-quarter surge, giving up three unanswered goals to the Wolverines to start the final period. With the game well out of reach, Gstettenbauer scored the final UCSD goal, making the final score 10-6.
On Thursday night, the Tritons faced rival Loyola Marymount University; UCSD defeated the Lions decisively at their home pool on the Lions’ Senior Day last year.
‘That’s my fondest memory of this team,’ Gstettenbauer said. ‘They were so cocky going into that game and then we beat them pretty good.’
Despite the strong performance in last year’s match, the Tritons knew that this game would be a new fight.
UCSD came out blazing, taking a 4-1 lead after the first quarter. Gstettenbauer and junior two-meter Stephanie Heinrich scored back-to-back goals in the opening minutes. The Lions scored three unanswered goals in the second quarter to tie the game. The lapse woke up the Tritons’ top performers ‘mdash; Gstettenbauer and Heinrich ‘mdash; who took over the comeback attempt, quickly scoring twice. A controversial LMU buzzer beater cut UCSD’s lead to one at the end of the half.
To break out of the second half, both teams fought hard before LMU netted consecutive goals to take the 8-7 lead
. But Bloom scored her second goal of the quarter to tie the game. UCSD struck first in the final period; Heinrich scored her fourth goal of the game. But the Lions returned with three straight goals to take the lead and finish the game 11-9.
‘We have a really young team,’ Sanders said. ‘They pass well, but they need to learn when to take the open shot … and that’s just going to come with more experience.’
UCSD prepares to face Chapman University on April 17 before traveling to San Diego State University in hopes of avenging a previous 16-6 loss.
Readers can contact Tyler Nelson at [email protected].