LONG BEACH, Calif. – After opening the game with three first quarter goals, No. 7 UCSB (15-12, 3-2) was unable to hold on to its early lead, as No. 13 Long Beach State (17-10, 4-1) used a second half rally to clinch the Big West regular season title with a 7-6 home victory.
With the 49ers claiming the top seed in next weekend's Big West Tournament, the host Gauchos will compete as the three seed.
Miranda Schrader led the team with a hat trick, while Lauren Martin added two goals off her three shots. As a team, the Gauchos outshot Long Beach State 23-13, but 49er goalkeeper Alexis Butler anchored her team's defense with 17 saves.
Looking at UCSB's defense, Mackenzie Brokaw finished with six saves, including four in the third quarter.
The Gauchos burst out of the gates with three straight goals starting with Martin's first score on a power play at the 6:36 mark. Schrader put the finishing touches on the run with consecutive goals within a 43-second span, giving UCSB a 3-0 edge with 4:31 left in the period.
While Long Beach State eventually found the back of the cage before the break, the gauchos quickly got back that goal just 40 seconds into the second quarter. Working with another power play, Bryn Hudson scored her lone goal of the game to move the score to 4-1.
The 49ers whittled the deficit down to one with 1:12 to play in the half, but the Gauchos regained a two-goal advantage with Martin scoring with 45 seconds to go.
In the third quarter, the Gauchos were shutout 2-0, as Emily Garcynski and Alexandra Massie each scored on 6-on-5 scenarios and tied the game at 5-5.
Garcynski would then provide her team's two fourth quarter goals, including the game-winner at the final buzzer. Before then, they had taken their first lead at the 2:29 mark, but Schrader quickly re-tied the game a few possessions later.
UCSB will return home to Campus Pool next weekend to host the Big West Tournament. The team will open the weekend with sixth seeded CSUN on Friday at 2 p.m. A win over the Matadors would give the Gauchos a rematch with Long Beach State on Saturday.
Tickets for the tournament are available now at the Ticketing Office in the Intercollegiate Athletics Building, over the phone at 805.893.UCSB (8272), and online.
