SANTA BARBARA, CALIF. – After dominating Fresno Pacific with a 21-0 shutout on Friday, the UCSB Women's Water polo team took on Cal Baptist and Michigan on the second day of the Winter Invitational at Campus Pool on a windy Saturday afternoon. In the earlier game, the Gauchos easily handled Cal Baptist 8-3, but then squandered an early lead to Michigan, losing 10-7 in the night cap.
The Gauchos got off to a hot start against when Sarah Kreiser and Natalie Selin scored consecutive goals to give UCSB an early 2-0 lead. Kreiser scored her second goal shortly after in what would be a five goal game for the junior star. Cal Baptist scored with eight seconds remaining in the quarter on a goal that appeared to cut the Gauchos lead to two going into the second. Kate Pipkin capitalized on the few seconds remaining and delivered a pass to Kate Coski, who found the back of the net as time expired, as UCSB led 4-1 after the first period.
The second quarter told a different story, as both teams buckled down defensively. UCSB goalie Kenzi Snyder helped anchor the Gauchos' defense, while receiving some help from several field blocks throughout the quarter. Both teams looked to pitch a shutout quarter until Cal Baptist ended the scoring draught on a powerplay goal with just :25 seconds remaining. There were no late quarter heroics from UCSB in this period, as they went into halftime leading 4-2.
Not wanting to relinquish their lead, the Gauchos found some rhythm early in the third period, as Kreiser netted her third score of the match on a powerplay. Cal Baptist answered with another goal, but Selin assisted Sarah Snyder's goal from center cage before Kreiser capped off the quarter with another goal. Entering the final period, the Gauchos held a comfortable 7-3 lead.
The fourth quarter began in the same way that the third quarter concluded: another goal from Kreiser, her fifth of the contest. That gave the Gauchos an 8-3 lead, a score that would not change for the remainder of the match. The Gauchos rolled to another victory, improving to 2-0 on the young season. A game against a tough Michigan squad laid ahead on the second day of the Winter Invitational.
Kreiser led the offense all game, tallying a monster five goals in the contest. Snyder, Selin, and Coski all contributed one goal apiece in the winning effort. Snyder did her part defensively, recording five saves and two steals to help hold Cal Baptist to just three goals.
UCSB looked to keep its early season momentum rolling against the Michigan Wolverines in the final game of the day at Campus Pool.
Snyder opened the contest with two strong inside goals to give the Gauchos a 2-0 lead with 6:00 remaining in the first. Selin got in on the early action, padding the lead to 3-0. Michigan would respond with two unanswered goals before freshman Mollie Simmons scored off a beautiful feed from Pipkin. The Wolverines scored again to draw within 4-3 going into the second.
The second quarter proved to be another weak quarter from the Gauchos, as they failed to score in the second period for the second time on Saturday. Turnovers proved to be a huge problem for UCSB as they recorded five turnovers in the second. Michigan used the offensive lull to go on a 3-0 run. Subsequently, they led the Gauchos 6-4 entering the break.
The Wolverines scored another goal to lead 7-4, before Coski broke the dry spell for the Gauchos. Spurred by the momentum, Pipkin scored her first goal of the game to cut the deficit to one. However, the Wolverines persistent press defense led to more turnovers and they scored again to increase their lead to two entering the fourth.
The Gauchos fought hard in the fourth, but two early Michigan goals brought the lead to 10-6 with 4:36 remaining. Kreiser scored to make it 10-7, but that would be all for either team. Michigan topped the Gauchos 10-7 in the final game of Saturday.
Snyder led the way for the UCSB this game, notching two goals. Kreiser, Simmons, Selin, and Coski each scored one to aid the offensive attack. Snyder saved seven shots and snatched one steal for UCSB. The Gauchos did all they could to win the possession battle in both games, as Pipkin and Simmons never lost an opening quarter sprint on Saturday. Ultimately, the Wolverine defense pressured the Gauchos into a stagnant offense at times throughout the night, which helped push the game in their favor.
UCSB finishes off the Winter Invitational tomorrow with another two game day. At 10:30am they square off against the UCLA Bruins at the UCSB Recreation Center, and then go on to take on Fresno State at 2:30 at Campus Pool.
