The University of California-San Diego Women's Rugby side has long been known as a second-half team. The UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos, however, won rights to that distinction after Sunday's match at La Jolla's Warren Field.

UCSD was ahead 14-0 in a penalty-laden first half, but as Triton inside center Monica Zigler puts it, her side "just ran out of steam" as injuries beset her side in the second period. The Gauchos rallied, totting up 22 points to UCSD's five, for the win and a berth in the USA Rugby Division I Round of Sixteen championship playoffs.

"The game went as I expected for the first half," said UCSD Head Coach Carla Smith. "We spent about 95 percent of the time in the opposition's territory."

The Gauchos spent the first half wobbling under the weight of penalties which set up the first nine points -- on three kicks -- of the Triton's scoring drive.

"We came out more intense and our game was 100 percent better than our earlier match against Santa Barbara," said Smith.

The Tritons lost to the Gauchos in a 27-5 rout three weeks ago in Santa Barbara.

"We got what we expected -- a tough match," said UCSB Head Coach Tom Constantine. "UCSD played well. There were lots and lots of penalties called, so it was extremely difficult to get a flow going." 

A last-minute Triton try put San Diego ahead 14-0 at the half.

The second period, though, was vastly different. Largely on the strategic kicks and aggressive defense of UCSB flyhalf Rosie Krauter, together with the playmaking of lock Kara Mathews, two Gaucho tries were soon put on the board. San Diego then answered back with a final try of their own, bringing the score to 19-10.

But the depth of the Triton bench was soon challenged when injuries took out two key players. Forwards Jillian Duggan and Kirstin "Kiki" Hartos were sidelined; one with a tailbone injury, the other with a wrenched shoulder.

"Once we lost Jill and Kiki, we became unglued," Smith said. "Our inexperience was difficult to overcome as we only had three seniors on the field."

Fully one-third of San Diego's starters have now been laid up to injuries this season. "It just caught up with us," adds Coach Smith.

The Triton backline, though, was largely free of the troubles plaguing the forward pack.

"Our backs looked great and were able to pass the ball down the line effectively," noted Smith. "This game showed the team was that they just had a bad time of it in our first meeting against Santa Barbara. Our true potential was seen against them in this second game."

Santa Barbara, for its part, regained focus in the second half according to Constantine.

"We stuck to our game plan, which eventually paid off," he noted.

The shuffling of the injury-plagued UCSD scrum allowed his side to capitalize on the Tritons' disarray. The Gauchos piled on with 12 unanswered points, walking off the pitch with a 22-19 victory.

Looking ahead

There's a bright side to the loss according to Smith.

"The positive aspect to this game is that our younger players got great experience for our next meeting against Arizona State," she said.

The Tritons final match of the season will be hosted by the Sun Devils Saturday, March 4 in Tempe, Arizona.