UC Davis women’s water polo team fell to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos by the score of 7-4 in their first Big West match of the season on March 29. After the loss, UC Davis slipped to 11-12 overall records and 0-1 in conference play.
Although the Aggies lost to the Gauchos at the UCI Invitational women’s water polo tournament on Feb. 22 by the score of 11-9, this game seemed to be an even matchup since UC Davis is ranked 15th in the National Collegiate polls while UC Santa Barbara is ranked 16th.
In the first quarter, the Gauchos came out in full force as Samantha Murphy scored the first 6-on-5 goal during a power-play with 7:24 to play. Three minutes later, UC Santa Barbara’s Bryn Hudson followed by scoring another 6-on-5 goal to give the Gauchos a 2-0 lead. The Aggies were finally able to get on the board two minutes before ending in the first half when sophomore center Allyson Hansen scored a power-play goal, assisted by sophomore Ariel Arcidacono, and helped the Aggies close the gap in the first quarter, 2-1.
As the second quarter began, UC Davis quickly evened the game with junior Paige Oreglia’s goal with 7:45 to play, tying the game at 2-2. However, the Gauchos soon took back the lead with two quick goals by Jessie Porter and Carly Christian with 6:14 left in the quarter.
The Aggies stayed strong and with 5:34 to play, Oreglia put another goal on the board. Unfortunately, Jessie Porter continued her fine performance and responded with another goal for the Gauchos, leaving the score 5-3 at the half.
UC Davis could not make any shots in the third quarter due to the air-tight defense by UC Santa Barbara. They were held scoreless throughout the third quarter and struggled to find an offensive rhythm.
The fourth quarter opened up with UC Davis scoring via a goal by Hansen. However, the Gauchos were simply too solid for the Aggies to take advantage of. A goal by the Gauchos’ leading scorer Lauren Martin sealed the fate of the game with UC Santa Barbara winning 7-4.
The Aggies will now begin one of their Big West road trips, starting with the UC Irvine Anteaters on April 5 and ending by visiting Long Beach State on April 6.
