The UC San Diego Lady Tritons are kicking back into full gear in their first conference tournament. The teams split into A and B teams, but still represented the Tritons as one. Overall, both teams played a great tournament. Every single one of the players were able to contribute to the points on the board either by drawing ejections or giving assists. This tournament was a great start to the season for both teams.

UCSD B lost against UC Irvine and San Diego State University, but the team played a strong and heavy defense against their competitors. They were able to shut down the opposing team’s main players from making goals and they were able to quickly adapt. The B team struggled with their offensive movements, but they modified their timing and created more opportunities. UCSD B won against University of San Diego and went into overtime with SDSU B. On the UCSD B team, everyone helped contribute to score on the board. Nelly “Rocks” El-Sakkery lead the scoreboard with 4 goals, followed by Hannaford “Vibe Check” Bush and Aspen Bryant with 3 goals each. Other goals were made by Kristen Plat, Laurel “Sports Mom” Jackson, Brittany Ayala, Jenna “Scooter” MacAulay, Brooke “Bobble” Hollister, Jamie Tran and Olivia “ Swiper” Navarro. Jayna “Father” Kaveney and Diana Wang were able to hold off and block goals against the Anteaters and the Aztecs. UCSD B has great potential this year and we look forward to the growth of our players as the season continues.

On the other hand, UCSD A team were able to win against Arizona State University, University of Arizona and USD. Although UCSD A had a slow start in the first half against ASU, the Lady Tritons were able to adjust to creating a better defense and quickly stopped Sun Devils from making any more goals. UCSD A team lost against SDSU A, but the Lady Tritons were able to hold off the Aztecs in the second half of the game. They were able to slow the Aztec’s momentum, making them more frustrated about not making any goals. Gaia “Killer Queen” Hinds and Kimmie “Raisin” Holland scored a whopping 11 goals each. Followed by Hinds and Holland, were Cathleen “Pup” Nguyen and Emma “Crackhead” Cooper with 7 goals each. Points were also made by Kinsey “Kids Meal” Van Deynze, Jenny “Suga Mama” Fisher, Sheccid Duhac-Gomez, Amy “Button” Ly, and Taylor “Potayto” Mathis. Lian “Brick” Lumada was able to block the opposing team’s goals and save the Tritons from defeat. UCSD A team has their eyes set on nationals in Arizona and they are working hard to gain the title as Southwest Division Champions once again.

After this tournament, the Lady Tritons are back in the pool, working hard to improve for the next tournament. Next month, the Tritons are traveling up to San Jose where they will play in a tournament against very competitive teams. The San Jose tournament will help the Tritons prepare for the next conference tournament at UCSD and guide them on their way to the road to nationals!