University of Arizona Tournament 3/5-3/6
This previous weekend the UC San Diego Women’s club water polo team travelled to the University of Arizona for their second and final league tournament before the division championship. While facing the harsh Tucson sunlight and sunburns so red they would make a lobster jealous, the Tritons were able to fight their way to victory in three out of four of their games, putting them in second place going into champs.
Their first game on Saturday was against the SDSU B team. Although the Tritons faced a slow start, only leading by one point after the first quarter, they were able to pull away from the Aztecs in the second quarter to gain a five point lead. Most of the Tritons’ points were scored in the second quarter and from a plethora of players, including Katie Archer, Jessica Iacovelli, Taylor Arnett, Macey Rafter, Nicki Prohaska, and Cathleen Nguyen. The Tritons beat the Aztecs 11-7.
The second game on Saturday was against the University of Arizona. Although the Wildcats had the home team advantage, the Tritons were able to hold them off and gain a 17-8 victory. With goals from Emma Neil, Katie Archer, Hannah Caskey, Taylor Arnett, Natalie Le, Macey Rafter, Nicki Prohaska, and Cathleen Nguyen, the Tritons rather consistently scored five goals per quarter, the exception being last. The Tritons respectfully told the Wildcats to bear down for the power of the ocean that was about to dominate their desert town.
The Tritons’ last game on Saturday was against UC Irvine. After playing two games and being stuck in the Arizona sunlight for hours, the Tritons found their last game to be their toughest one of the day. The Tritons started off the game strong, holding the Anteaters to one goal, as the Tritons scored four. However, the Anteaters were out to win it, and within the second quarter, came back to only be one point behind the Tritons. The second half of the game was a constant changing of whp had the lead. Both teams wanted to win and the stakes were high. Finally, in the last quarter, Macey Rafter and Natalie Popescu sealed the Tritons’ fate, as they scored to give the Tritons an 11-10 win over the Anteaters.
The Tritons had their final game on Sunday against the SDSU A team. Unfortunately after a long weekend of water polo, the Tritons could not defeat the Aztecs, and lost 2-15. Although they put up a good fight, the Aztecs overpowered the Tritons once more. The top scorers of the weekend were Macey Rafter and Nicki Prohaska with eight goals each, Hannah Caskey with seven goals, and Taylor Arnett with four goals.
The Tritons are going into their division championships, April 9th-10th at San Diego State. They are currently in 2nd place in their league, with a 6-2 record within their league and a 10-2 record overall.
