TEMPE, Ariz. — The UC Santa Barbara Women's Water Polo team went 1-1 on their second day of action at the ASU Invitational, earning a comfortable, 17-2 win over defending NAIA National Champions Ottawa Arizona but coming up short in an impressive defensive battle against No. 19 San Jose State. Goalkeepers Madison Walker and Ava Donleavy were strong all day long, as was the defense in front of them; the seven goals they conceded across two games are fewer than they conceded in three of their previous seven wins (and one loss). The Gauchos' attack was a well-balanced one, with seven different players scoring twice on Saturday. Camilla Mackay, Mary Beth Heffelfinger, Isabel Valaika, Christina Mullane, Imani Clemons, Aidan Flynn and Cami Mras all finished as the team's joint-leading goal scorers on the day. Clemons scored in both games for Santa Barbara.

FROM HEAD COACH SERELA KAY
"Anytime you play a team 2-2 into the final quarter screams solid defense on both ends," Kay said. "San Jose State executed their power plays and that made the difference."
 
NO. 12(T) UC SANTA BARBARA 17, OTTAWA ARIZONA 2
Twelve of the 16 non-goalkeepers on the Gauchos' roster scored at least once against the Spirit as Santa Barbara took care of business against Ottawa in the morning contest. Natalia Stanard provided two assists to make it 13 different names on the scoresheet for the Gauchos, who led for essentially the entire game. Flynn opened the scoring after 40 seconds, and Santa Barbara had three goals before Ottawa scored their first. Mullane scored both of her goals in the first half, helping Santa Barbara lead at the break, 9-2.
 
Donleavy and the defense shut down the Spirit, keeping them off the scoresheet for the entire second half while the Gaucho offense ran up the score. Santa Barbara finished the game on an 8-0 run, with Molly Souza providing the 17^th and final goal, 47 seconds before the final buzzer.
 
NO. 12(T) UC SANTA BARBARA 3, NO. 19(T) SAN JOSE STATE 5
It was a defensive battle in the Gauchos' second game of the day, as Santa Barbara allowed their fewest goals to a Division-I opponent since 2021 but still fell to the Spartans. The teams were tied at two at halftime and neither scored at all in the third quarter, with San Jose State's two fourth-quarter scores enough to decide the game.
 
The two sides traded goals in the first half. The Spartans opened the scoring, but Clemons drew the Gauchos back level with a 6-on-5 goal, only for San Jose State to re-take the lead with one of their own, five seconds before the end of the first quarter. Lyter added the only goal of the second quarter to tie things up again, but it looked like the Spartans would go into halftime with the lead as they were awarded a five-meter penalty shot with three seconds left in the quarter. However, Walker made a big stop to keep the scores level.
   
Walker was crucial in the third quarter, but everything she did, her counterpart in the other goal could do too, and neither team could find the net for the entire third quarter. It took two and a half minutes of the fourth quarter for the breakthrough to come, with Scheer the one to deliver it. The Gauchos' first lead of the game lasted all of 45 seconds, as the Spartans quickly answered, then went on to score two more unanswered goals and take the win.
 
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will have one more game at the ASU Invite on Sunday, when they take on the Marist Red Foxes. UC Santa Barbara's Christina Mullane will have the chance to face off against her younger sister, Alyssa, in that game, which starts at 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time from the Mona Plummer Aquatic Center in Tempe. A live stream will be available through Arizona State's student-run Blaze Sports YouTube channel.