IRVINE, Calif. – The No. 17 UC Santa Barbara women's water polo team traveled south on Saturday to take on Big West foe No. 7 UC Irvine and fell to the Anteaters 7-2 at the Anteater Aquatic Complex.
Speedy freshman Mollie Simmons won the opening sprint to give the Gauchos the first possession and it did not take long for UCSB to get on the scoreboard as Simmons found Sarah Snyder who found the back of the cage with 7:41 on the clock.
From there, UC Irvine found a rhythm and scored six straight goals to take a 6-1 lead at the half.
In the third period, Snyder converted a five-meter penalty shot for her second goal of the game. The offense cooled down from both sides in the second half, and the Anteaters held on for the 7-2 victory.
Kenzi Snyder and Becca Buck combined for 11 saves for the second straight game, tallying five and six, respectively.
Natalie Seidemann led UCI with three goals.
UCSB (13-11, 0-2) continues Big West play next weekend with a home match against CSUN on Saturday, Apr. 7 at 12:00 p.m.
