It’s that time of year again… SCRUM BY THE SEA. It was a clash of the tridents as the UCSD Tritons took on the ASU Sundevils in their first matches of this beloved tournament. ASU, although known for their athleticism and aggression, was no match for the Mighty Tritons today. With excellent communication up and down the line and strong support on strong runs, Sara Tsai and Kelly Childs were able to score beautiful team tries. And with backs captain Megan Takeguchi converting both goals, UCSD walked off the field ahead 14-7, starting a 2-game undefeated streak.

The Tritons took on UCLA in their second game of the first day on a warm, sunny Warren field. Tritons did a great job starting strong and maintaining control of the ball in the first half. Quick to bounce back after UCLA scored two tries, President Sara Tsai started the UCSD scoring off strong by finding the gap and taking a fast run to score the try on the left side of the field. Stella Dorsey scored her very first try, receiving the ball and taking a great run through breaks in UCLA’s defense. Nikole Kron secured the conversion kick, putting UCSD up. Mia Taylor had great field vision, was able to see the space, and punched through the hole to score the try. Nikole Kron again kicked the conversion kick, keeping the Tritons ahead 19-10 at the half. Not tired by the first half of the game, the Tritons showed off their defensive skills, not letting UCLA score at all in the second half. Mia Taylor scored her second try of the game, showing off her grit at the line by pushing through after the team had been punching phase after phase. Vice president and forwards captain Lina Luedi made excellent use of their strength and pushed through UCLA’s defense to score the final try of the game. This match was filled with excellent carries, strong defense, and excellent ball control on offense. The Tritons secured the win with the final score of 29-10, putting them in the championship bracket for Sunday for the first time in recent UCSD Scrum by the Sea history.

‘Tritons!’ can be heard across Warren Field as the energized team sets up to receive the ball. It's the second day of Scrum by the Sea and the Tritons are undefeated facing last year’s league champions, also undefeated: the Claremont Foxes. The teams are slow to get points on the board but Claremont is persistent. They work down the field, pushing UCSD into their half and after some tough defense, across the line. Determined, the Tritons make their way back to the line and launch hard as Megan Takeuchi sends a high kick to Claremont. A few minutes of hard launches and tackles later, Claremont has another break putting the Tritons behind at a score of 12-0 going into the half. Sun still high, the Tritons kick-off to start the second half but quickly regain possession. Strong rucks allow them to move the ball efficiently across the field and they get closer to Claremont’s try zone until a gap opens. Flyhalf Mia Taylor takes it at pace and touches the ball down. UCSD is finally on the board! Spirits high, they catch the ball on the full and attack Claremont with renewed hunger. Hard work pays off when Darya Messih, playing at 13, explodes through the defensive wall and 2 more oncoming Claremont defenders. 2 phases are all it takes for the ball to make it back to Darya and she powers it over the line and home. Nikole Kron makes the conversion tying the game up 12-12. When time is called, the score is still tied but both teams can’t let this go unfinished. Claremont kicks off to UCSD for overtime, and the Tritons make sure to control the ball. Steadily they march up the field to the 5-yard line where Claremont holds them off, running down the clock. When Soph Trujillo breaks through and puts down the try, that's it. Cheers erupt: the Tritons have won 17-12!

Ending the tournament weekend with a close match, UCSD went against ASU for a contest characterized by a strong back-and-forth grasp at possession ending in a 14-12 win for Arizona State. The first try of the game was taken in by ASU after a solid defense countered UCSD's attempts at shifting possession. A successful conversion contributed to setting up ASU with a seven-point lead. UCSD soon responded with a strong, cohesive offensive strategy that utilized its forward pack to push through ASU's defensive line before unleashing its athletic backline on the left wing. Carried in by Mia Taylor, the Tritons put up 5 points just before the end of the half. Mirroring the end of the first half, the second half of this match saw the Triton's back line work in cohesion with its forward pods to find gaps in the Sun Devil's defensive line. With big strides taken by Darya Massih, UCSD was well positioned to power ball carrier, Brittney Quezada-Sanchez straight into the try zone. Paired with a successful conversion kick from Nikole Kron gave the Tritons a 12-7 lead.  The second half of the match was no stranger to scrums, either, with the forward packs of each team meeting 6 times before the Sun Devils found a GP allowing their back line to carry the ball just short of the try before being taken down by the Tritons in a yellow-card call and receiving a penalty try that would provide them the 14-12 lead. Met with determination, UCSD continued to pick up and carry the ball just shy of the try, coming just short at the time, solidifying the match and tournament victory for ASU.