This weekend, January 21st and 22nd, UC San Diego Women’s Club Water Polo traveled to UC Davis to get some extra practice before the start of their conference season in February. After a long night of travelling to cold and barren Northern California, the ladies were ready to get down to business in the pool. UC San Diego finished the tournament with a record of 3-1. The drive home consisted of thunder and lightning, a direct representation of the storm the Tritons brought to the UC Davis pool.
The Lady Tritons ended the first match of the tournament with a win over Oregon’s B Team (19-1). Despite the long night of travelling the Tritons endured, these Oregon Ducklings were no match for the Tritons, allowing the Tritons to score 19 goals. This first match showcased just how well-rounded the UC San Diego roster is, with goals from six different Tritons, including a whopping 5 goals from Macey “Mom” Rafter.
The second match of the day was against Oregon A. After a slow beginning, the Tritons began to rise above the Ducks, with an ending score of 14-4. Again, the Tritons brought their A-Game from all over the roster with goals from 5 different Tritons and an outstanding goalie performance by Camerin “Grami” Cunningham, whose first time in the cage was this tournament.
After a spaghetti dinner and a long night of storms, the Tritons faced UC Davis B for their first Sunday match. UC San Diego embodied the spirit of King Triton himself, out-swimming their land-horse Aggie opponents 15-5. Even with their small travel roster, the Tritons pulled goals from again 6 different Tritons, including 6 goals from Hannah “Shrek” Caskey, 4 from Cathleen “Pup” Nguyen, 2 from Natalie “Supermodel” Popescu, and 1 goal each from Rafter, McKenzie “McRib” Nelson, and Allison “Kreamer” Kramer.
The long weekend finally caught up to the Tritons in their last match of the weekend. The Tritons fell 13-8 to the Cal Poly Mustangs, but it was not without a fight. As the rain fell and the Tritons fought, they racked up 8 goals against their brutal opponent, with a stand-out 4 goals and 4 steals from Caskey, and 1 goal each from Rafter, Kramer, Popescu, and Kinsey “Kids Meal” Van Deynze. Although the Tritons did not pull through in this match, they are now ready to put in the work needed to prepare for their upcoming conference opener tournament on February 25-26, in the comfort of King Triton’s very own Canyonview Aquatic Center at UC San Diego.
