HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Jolie Trujillo (Alamo, Calif.) scored six times as No. 1/Sierra Pacific Division Champion the University of California utilized a 7-3 scoring advantage in the second half to break a six-all halftime deadlock and defeat No. 4/Southwest Division Champion the University of California-San Diego, 13-9, in the semifinals of the 2022 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship at the Huntsville Aquatics Center.
Courtesy the win, California earns a 12:45 p.m. appointment on Sunday, May 8, with No. 6/Pacific Coast Division runner-up the University of California-Santa Barbara in the 2022 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship title game.
California – which won the 2015 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship and previously placed Fifth (2014) and 11th (2013) at the National Collegiate Club Championship before its title season – trailed twice in topping UC-San Diego and returning to the National Championship game for the first time since downing the University of Notre Dame by an 11-5 score to claim the 2015 crown at Middlebury College.
UC-San Diego broke the ice in the game as Gaia Hinds (Sr., Malibu, Calif.) scored 52 seconds into the seven-minute first quarter to give the Tritons a quick 1-0 advantage on the scoreboard.
California responded to Hinds’ strike with three of its own as Trujillo (5:16), Juju Clark (2:35) and Kylie Walker (1:42) ticked off back-to-back-to-back tallies to turn the tables and take a 3-1 lead. Hinds delivered a five-meter penalty shot at 1:16 to move the Triton back to within one at 3-2, but Trujillo struck again with 47 seconds left to push the Golden Bears ahead 4-2.
UC-San Diego erased Cal’s lead to start the second quarter as Amanda Martilla (So., Canyon Lake, Calif.) (6:21) and Hinds (5:24, penalty shot) balanced the scoreboard at four-all prior to Trujillo completing a hat-trick at 3:52 to put California back in front at 5-4.
Kimberly Holland (Jr., Tustin, Calif.) tied the game again at 3:33 and Sheccid Duchac-Gomez (Sr., Lake Elsinore, Calif.) put UC-San Diego into the lead at 2:03 by a 6-5 count. However, Trujillo delivered once again for California with 1:49 on the clock to deadlock the teams at six-all heading into halftime.
The top-ranked Golden Bears came out of the break firing on all cylinders as Kiana Lee (San Jose, Calif.) (6:18), Kylie Walker (Lafayette, Calif.) (5:22, 4:58) and Clark (3:45) put together a 4-0 scoring run to give California a 10-6 lead.
Holland chipped one off UC-San Diego’s deficit with 1:43 to go in the third quarter, but Trujillo responded 62 seconds into the fourth quarter to set the scoreboard at 11-7 in favor of the Golden Bears.
Hinds (5:35) and Martilla (4:01) shrank UC-San Diego’s deficit to 11-9, but Walker (2:51) and Trujillo (1:04) insulated Cal’s margin with back-to-back strikes for the 13-9 final score.
UC-San Diego – which will face No. 7/Big Ten Division Champion the University of Michigan in the Third Place game at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 8 – Hinds scored four times. Holland and Martilla both tacked on pairs with Duchac-Gomez adding a solo marker in support of an eight save effort by netminder Lian Lumada (Sr., Long Beach, Calif.).
No matter the outcome of the Third Place game versus the Wolverines, UC-San Diego will post the program’s all-time best finish at the Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship. Historically, the Tritons are making the team’s second appearance at the Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship following a Fifth Place mark in 2018 at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore.
Trujillo led all scorers in the game with six goals,while Walker (four), Clark (two) and Lee (one) combined for the remainder of the Golden Bears’ offense. Georgia Stebbins (San Jose, Calif.) made eight saves in earning the victory.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 4 University of California-San Diego |
2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | – | 9 |
| No. 1 University of California | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | – | 13 |
| California Goals: | Jolie Trujillo (6); Kylie Walker (4); Juju Clark (2); Kianna Lee | |||||
| UCSD Goals: | Gaia Hinds (4); Kimberly Holland (2); Amanda Martilla (2); Scheccid Duchac-Gomez | |||||
| Saves: | California – Georgia Stebbins (8) ; UCSD – Lian Lumada (8) | |||||
| Exclusions: | California – 5 ; UCSD – 3 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | California – 0-for-3 ; UCSD – 2-for-5 | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Brandon Nicholson; Andre Nyce | |||||
University of California-San Diego’s Julia Derunes (#13) pursues the University of California’s Christina Steinmeier (#9)
University of California-San Diego’s Kimberly Holland (#7)
University of California-San Diego’s Gaia Hinds (#5)
