Ending the Season with a Win

One week after picking up their first league win when Pepperdine forfeited the match, UC San Diego was back in action, hosting UC Riverside at Warren Field. The Tritons made it two in a row, picking up a convincing 36-7 win over the Highlanders to conclude their league season.

The Tritons took the game from the right end, putting pressure on Riverside from the start of the game. With a few opportunistic kicks and good lines from the backs, the Tritons camped in the opposing 22. On an opening, fly-half Andrew Dries took the gap and slalomed through the defense for the game’s first try. He added the conversion, making it 7-0 for the hosts. UC San Diego continued to camp inside their opponent’s 22, and after a series of penalties played quickly and tapped into touch, prop George McMahon crossed the line on a service by scrum-half Jonathan Reyes. UC Riverside reacted however, and on one of the last plays of the first half, scored a try on a powerful run by their forward pack, making it 14-7 for the Tritons at halftime.

UC San Diego came back to the field full of good intentions in the second half, looking to put the game away. The Tritons thought they had a try when their captain prop Judah Word crossed the line, but the referee called the try back on a double-move. UC San Diego continue to put the pressure and on a nice wide ball, Andrew Dries put away another one, his second of the day. Now up 19-7, the Tritons’ strong pack continued to dominate in the scrum, giving their backs a number of opportunities on the outside. Winger Sean Martinez took the opportunities to score two tries and assisted full-back Pierre Karpov on a last one, making the final score 36-7.

UC San Diego now gets 2 weeks off before the start of training in the spring.