GRESHAM, Ore. — Goalie Amanda Duval (Sr., Culver City, Calif.) made 10 saves, including four stops in the fourth quarter, and Natalie Popescu (Sr., San Jose, Calif.) scored with 12 seconds left for the deciding factor as Southwest Division Champion/No. 11-ranked the University of California-San Diego edged Big Ten Division Champion/No. 13 The Ohio State University, 4-3, in the Fifth Place game of the 2018 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship at Mt. Hood Community College.
UC-San Diego, which was making its first appearance at the Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship, recorded the better of play in a low-scoring game to build a 2-0 lead by halftime and used a pair of markers in the second half to hold off Ohio State.
Popescu put UC-San Diego into the lead with six seconds left in the first quarter by finding the back of the cage with a sinking shot to push ahead 1-0.
Following another nearly scoreless quarter of water polo, Cathleen Nguyen (Sr., Walnut, Calif.) added to the Tritons’ lead by tossing in a tally with 1:13 until halftime to make it 2-0 in favor of the Southwest Division Champion entering the break.
Ohio State’s Abby Hartsell (Gr., Durham, N.C.) cut the margin in half at the 4:50 mark of the third quarter, but Nguyen responded with 12 ticks left on the clock to return UC-San Diego’s lead to a pair at 3-1 going into the fourth quarter of action.
Betsy Trace (Sr., Upper Arlington, Ohio) added to the game’s drama by depositing shots at the 5:58 and 2:14 marks to balance the scoreboard at three-all and bring up the possibility of overtime.
However, Popescu terminated the contest in regulation by lining in a shot with 12 seconds remaining for the 4-3 final score.
For UC-San Diego, Popescu and Nguyen both scored twice in support of Duval’s 10 save performance.
Across the tank, Trace accounted for two goals to accompany a single marker by Hartsell for Ohio State. Goalie Amanda Morgan (So., Worthington, Ohio) took the loss with four saves.
The Buckeyes, who finish with a Sixth Place mark, post their second consecutive Top 10 position after wrapping up the 2017 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship at the University of Pittsburgh in Fourth Place.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 13 Ohio State University | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | – | 3 |
| No. 11 University of California-San Diego | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – | 4 |
| UC San Diego Goals: | Natalie Popescu (2); Cathleen Nguyen (2) | |||||
| Ohio State Goals | Betsy Trace (2); Abby Hartsell | |||||
| Saves: | UC San Diego – Amanda Duval (10) ; Ohio State – Amanda Morgan (4) | |||||
| Exclusions: | UC San Diego – 1 ; Ohio State – 3 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | UC San Diego – 0-for-3 ; Ohio State – 0-for-1 | |||||
| Sprints: | UC San Diego – 3-for-4 (1st, 3rd, 4th) ; Ohio State – 1-for-4 (2nd) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Kacie Bund, Tony Karaman | |||||
University of California-San Diego’s Natalie Popescu (#6) prepares to shoot over Ohio State University’s Hannah May (#17)
Jory Gould (#18) of Ohio State University faces off against the University of California-San Diego’s Sara Tran (#7)
