Women’s water polo
UC Davis had a rough weekend at the Stanford Invitational Women’s Water Polo Tournament.
The No. 14 Aggies were outmatched, facing four teams ranked higher nationally. The beginning of the season has been brutal; the Aggies have faced multiple top-five opponents each weekend.
After going 0-4 over the weekend, UC Davis slipped to 2-8 overall this season.
The Aggies were completely outclassed against the defending national champions, as they lost to No. 1 Stanford 18-6.
The Cardinal scored seven unanswered to open the action and held an 11-1 lead at the break. UC Davis managed to stay competitive in the second half, with junior Jessica Dunn and freshman Keelia Houston each scoring twice and helping the Aggies tally five goals total after halftime.
The afternoon game was far more entertaining, with UC Davis coming back from three goals down to make it a one-score game heading into the fourth quarter. San Jose State was able to hold off the Aggies for the third week in a row, however, handing UC Davis a 13-12 loss.
Senior Carey Faber netted four goals and Dunn added three, while goalkeeper Riane Woods made 12 saves playing the whole game. It was Faber’s first hat trick since her sophomore season in 2010.
UC Davis kept up with USC in the first half of Sunday morning’s game, trailing just 6-4 at the break.
But the ladies of Troy were able to pull away in the second frame with a 7-2 scoring advantage, and UC Davis fell 13-6. Six different players scored for the Aggies in the contest.
In Sunday afternoon’s seventh-place match, Michigan shut out UC Davis in the third quarter on its way to a 7-5 victory. Dunn led the Aggies with two goals, and Rachel Tatusko was impressive in net, tallying six saves in the game.
UC Davis takes a weekend off from competition and returns to action February 19 at Sonoma State. It also hosts an Alumnae game on February 18.
— Russell Eisenman
