LA MIRADA, Calif. (April 7, 2023) — The No. 11 UC Santa Barbara women's water polo team (17-8, 1-3 Big West) scored five goals in each of the final two quarters on Friday, turning a 5-4 halftime lead into a 15-9 victory over Biola (12-14, 3-1 WWPA). Annie Kuester recorded her third hat-trick of the season, and Caitlyn Snyder tallied two goals alongside six assists to lead the Gauchos in points, while Madison Walker made a career-high 18 saves to deny any chance of a Biola comeback.

No. 11 UCSB 15, Biola 9
Goalscorers: Annie Kuester (3), Caitlyn Snyder (2), Leigh Lyter (2), Nina Munson (2), Imani Clemons (2), Sarah Owens, Drew Halvorson, Juju Amaral, Emily Ferguson

UCSB never trailed in the match, as Nina Munson opened the scoring a minute into the first quarter, and the Gauchos never looked back. Annie Kuester tallied the first of her three scores to double the lead, then Imani Clemons scored the first two goals on her birthday to keep UCSB's advantage at two when the quarter ended. Kuester scored again in the second, then Caitlyn Snyder made it 5-2, but Biola got within one by halftime.

In net, Madison Walker was tremendous throughout, denying pretty much every shot the Eagles could throw at her, making close-range stops and batting away long-distance attempts as well. Walker's goalkeeping helped the Gauchos pull away, as their offense found the net early and often. Leigh Lyter scored the first two goals of the half, then Nina Munson made it 8-4 Gauchos three minutes into the third quarter. UCSB led by that four-goal margin to start the fourth quarter, and Kuester completed her hat-trick to put the Gauchos up by as many as six. They found the net three more times before the final buzzer sounded, wrapping up a comfortable victory.

UP NEXT
The Gauchos are back in action tomorrow, Saturday, April 8 as they visit No. 7 (T) Long Beach State. The ball will hit the water at 7 p.m. from the Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center in Long Beach. Live stats will be available through ucsbgauchos.com.