Women’s water polo
The UC Davis women’s water polo team finished second place in the NCAA Big West Conference Championship this weekend at Schaal Aquatic Center.
The Aggies went into the tournament with a bye game on Friday to face the No. 3 seed UC Santa Barbara for the fourth time this season on Saturday, defeating the Gauchos 7-5 to advance to the championship match.
The Aggies held the lead for the majority of the match, until the Gauchos tied the score at five in the fourth quarter, but UC Davis held on to pull of the victory in overtime.
Following their victory on Saturday, the Aggies advanced to the Big West Championship Match, facing off against the No. 1-seeded UC Irvine Anteaters on Sunday. Despite UC Davis’ hard-fought victory over the Gauchos the previous day, the Anteaters proved to be too formidable an adversary for the Aggies, winning 10-5.
The Anteaters scored four unanswered goals in the opening minutes of the match. Junior Jessica Dunn scored the first point for the Aggies near the end of this first quarter, ending it with a 4-1 lead for the Anteaters.
The second quarter looked much like the first, with the Anteaters adding another four points to their lead. Following a five-meter penalty, junior Carmen Eggert fired a shot in to add another point for the Aggies. The first half ended with the Aggies trailing the Anteaters 8-2.
UC Davis held UC Irvine scoreless in the third quarter and cut the lead to 8-4, but the Aggies would not get any closer as the Anteaters pulled out the victory to end UC Davis’ season.
This latest championship victory for the Anteaters makes them Big West Champions for the fourth straight year.
The Aggies finish the season with a record of 18-13 and 4-1 in league play. Dunn was the top scorer overall for the weekend with four goals total, followed by senior Ariel Feeney and Eggert with two goals apiece.
–– STEVEN ESTRADA
