SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - After taking a 1-0 lead through one quarter of play Saturday, 15th-ranked UC Santa Barbara dropped its Big West Conference opener to No. 5 UC Irvine, 6-4, despite 13 saves by goalkeeper Mackenzie Brokaw.

The Gauchos (12-13, 0-1) scored the only goal of the first quarter at the 4:43 mark when junior Bryn Hudson skipped a shot past UCI (14-6, 1-0) goalkeeper Jilliam Yocum. It was Hudson's 12th goal of the season.

The Anteaters tied the score at 1-1 early in the second quarter when Danielle Warde scored the first of her four goals. The tally came at the 6:15 mark, but just 13 seconds later, with 6:02 left before halftime, Brenna Thomas gave UCSB a 2-1 lead when she scored her 17th goal of the year.

The lead didn't last long as Warde scored again less than a minute later, squaring the score at 2-2. UCI took its first lead of the match just before the halfway mark of the second quarter when Cambria Shockley floated one over Brokaw's outstretched arm. The score remaind 3-2 at half.

Warde notched her third goal just 1:17 into the third quarter, giving the Anteaters a 4-2 advantage. 

Miranda Schrader's 17th goal of the year closed the gap to 4-3 with 1:24 left in the third, but UCI's Kelsey Thornton responded with just under a minute to play to make the sscore 5-3 at the end of three quarters.

Warde's final goal came at the 6:11 mark in the fourth, pushing the lead to 6-3. The Gauchos' Camila Schafer scored her team-leading 34th goal of the campaign with 23 ticks left on the clock, making the final score 6-4.

UCSB returns to Big West action when it travels to Hawai'i for a match on April 4. The team's next home match will be its season finale on April 18 against Long Beach State. That contest is slated for noon. 

UCI Goals: Danielle Warde (4), Cambria Shockley, Kelsey Thornton 
UCI Saves: Jilliam Yocum - 5

UCSB Goals: Bryn Hudson, Brenna Thomas, Miranda Schrader, Camila Schafer
UCSB Saves: Mackenzie Brokaw - 13