Two victories helped Aggies move up in conference rankings
By LUCIENNE BROOKER — sports@theaggie.org
Women’s water polo finished sixth out of 16 teams at the Triton Invitational in San Diego over the Jan. 31 weekend. With two wins and two losses, the Aggies’ strong performance improved their record to five wins this season so far. After falling to the top two teams in the country, UC Los Angeles and Stanford University, in consecutive games, the Aggies needed some motivation to turn their performances around, delivering in their games in San Diego.
Their first matchup against the Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Lions on Jan. 31 proved that UC Davis was there to win. The Aggies took an early lead only 30 seconds into the game but were unable to hold this advantage for long. The two teams scored back-to-back goals in the first quarter, establishing a fast pace. This back-and-forth pace continued for half of the first quarter until the Aggies scored four unanswered goals in three minutes. Although the Lions cut their deficit to one point, a last-second goal by Ally Smith, a third-year economics major and attacker, gave UC Davis a two-point cushion at the end of the quarter.
Subsequent quarters were equally frantic, as each team continued to score at least three goals per quarter. Tied 16-16 in the final quarter, both teams tried to find an edge but a final-minute goal by Bridget Miller, a second-year undeclared major and center, helped the Aggies retie the score at 19-19 and send the game into overtime periods. A last-second goal by Sam Yoo, a fourth-year human development major and utility, gave the Aggies a hard-fought victory in their first game of the invitational.
It was a short recovery period as the Aggies faced the University of Southern California Trojans early the next morning. Although the final score 9-17 appears lopsided, UC Davis performed better than expected against the Trojans, who went on to win the Triton Invitational. Sadie Henry, a second-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major and utility, continued her scoring streak, putting up a hat trick against the Trojan defense.
They carried this momentum into the second match of the day, facing off against the California State University, Fresno Bulldogs as the sun began to set in San Diego. The Aggies hadn’t defeated the Bulldogs in over five years, but they dug deep and ultimately beat them 12-9. Henry was again a scoring powerhouse, netting four goals. These points helped the team claw their way back into the match after a tight first quarter saw them trailing. The combination of offensive prowess and stellar goalkeeping from Lucy Holland, a third-year molecular and medical microbiology major, propelled the Aggies to victory and into the final match to determine fifth place.
The final match of a long tournament weekend took place on the morning of Feb. 2. The Aggies took on California State University, Long Beach but suffered a narrow defeat in overtime, with a score of 11-12. UC Davis trailed in every quarter until the fourth, where they fought their way back to force a draw and head into overtime. Henry scored a hat trick, marking her fourth game in a row with multiple goals. Despite strong play from the entire team, Long Beach State scored a goal with 2:30 minutes to go in the overtime period, and the Aggies were unable to net a response, finishing the tournament in sixth place.
“I am really excited with how we competed all weekend,” Head Coach Kandace Waldthaler said. “We have some work to do defensively, but I am really pleased with how we played this weekend against some very tough opponents.”
Next up, the Aggies are able to play host for the Aggie Invite, where they will play matches against the University of the Pacific, UC Merced, Santa Clara University and a special game against UC Davis women’s water polo alumni. All four games will take place at the Schaal Aquatics Center starting on Feb. 8.
Written by: Lucienne Brooker — sports@theaggie.org
