CLAREMONT, Calif. - Led by senior Taylor Shore's seven goals, No. 12 UCSB (12-6) picked up two wins on Saturday, defeating La Verne, 16-1, and Pomona-Pitzer, 9-6, at the Claremont Convergence.
La Verne (4-3)
In their first game of the day, Santa Barbara dominated the Leopards from start to finish, scoring at least three goals in every quarter on the way to an easy 16-1 victory. The 15-goal difference was identical to last year's Claremont Convergence, when UCSB topped La Verne 21-6 on Mar. 5, 2016. It was also the Gauchos' largest margin of victory since that same day, when they defeated Claremont-Mud-Scripps 19-1.
It didn't take long for UCSB to scratch first in this one, as sophomore Sarah Kreiser got things started with a goal just 30 seconds in. Shore added her first two goals of the day midway through the opening period and freshman Natalie Selin made it 4-0 with just over a minute to go.
After freshman Sarah Snyder upped the lead to 5-0 with a goal at the 5:46 mark of the second quarter, La Verne's Guarina Garcia answered just 23 seconds later for the Leopards' only strike of the game. Snyder and freshman Abbey Grosse added another two goals for UCSB in the final 90 seconds of the first half, sending it to the break with a 7-1 advantage.
The final 16 minutes saw more of the same dominance from the Gauchos, who poured in nine more goals before the final buzzer. Shore got things started with a goal less than a minute into the third, making it 8-1.
Following Kreiser's second goal several minutes later, Shore put away her fourth of the day. It was the third time this season that she reached the four-goal mark.
Five different players would make up the Gauchos' last six goals over the final 12 and a half minutes of the game. Freshman Samantha Rosenberg notched her second and third scores of the season, while Kate Pipkin, Brenna Thomas, Kate Coski and Jenna Solberg all scored as well.
Pipkin and Thomas also added a team-high two assists. Thomas also had a game-high five steals, the most she's had in a game this season. Coski led the way with three ejections drawn.
In the cage, goalkeepers Devon Gasparini and Kelsey Fennell tied for team-high honors with two saves apiece.
Pomona-Pitzer (4-10)
UCSB's second game of the day saw Shore record yet another hat trick – her team-leading seventh of the year. Senior Jenna Solberg also added her first hat trick of the season to help power the Gauchos to a 9-6 win.
After a slow first quarter saw the Gauchos take a 1-0 lead, UCSB's offense exploded in the second, scoring six goals to take a 7-2 lead into halftime. Although Santa Barbara went on to be outscored 4-2 in the second half, its two-goal third quarter was enough to hold off the Sagehens.
Senior Sophie Trabucco, Pipkin and Kreiser rounded out the Gaucho scoring with one goal each. Pipkin and Kreiser also made an impact on the defensive end, tallying four and three steals, respectively.
Shore added three steals of her own and tied Sarah Snyder for the team-lead with two ejections drawn.
Fennell and Gasparini once again split time in the cage, totaling nine saves between them. Gasparini added a steal for the second straight game, while Fennell finished with five saves.
The Gauchos will have a quick turnaround as they return home to face Cal State Bakersfield tomorrow at 12 p.m. at Campus Pool.
