UC San Diego Women’s Rugby took home their first win of the season against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, on February 19th. This is the first win the team has had in over two years, since before the shutdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic. The team, mainly comprised of rookies, continues to improve each week. Rookie Sana Gold scored the first try of the game, and first-year Emily Brown scored the following two, both of which were their first-ever tries. Rookie Yesenia Montoya earned two points for her conversion kick. Together they led the Tritons to their 17-10 victory. 

The Tritons started out the game strong and took the lead on the scoreboard. Megan Wu, also a rookie, was like lightning on the field, striking down Gauchos left and right. The “tight five” forwards ran through their opponent’s defenses. Santa Barbara attempted a comeback at the beginning of the second half. They kept possession of the ball for the majority of the time but struggled to get past the Tritons’ phenomenal defense. They made two tries and were held up from a third by Sana Gold. This weekend, the UCSD Women’s Rugby team proved they're a force to be reckoned with on the field.