LA JOLLA, Calif. — The No. 15 UC Santa Barbara Women's Water Polo team (7-2, 0-0 Big West) put together a Saturday to savor in their second day of action at the Triton Invitational, grinding out a 9-8 win over Cal State Fullerton (4-2, 0-0 Big West) in the morning then upsetting No. 11 Loyola Marymount (3-5, 0-0 GCC) in their afternoon match, 14-12. Annie Kuester led the offense with six goals across the two games, though freshman Bella Mady was close behind with five of her own.
 
FROM INTERIM HEAD COACH EMMA MYALL
"Today was a great day," Myall said. "This morning we played some sloppy water polo but still got away with the win. We had a great team talk and knew we had to come out with hustle and heart to play LMU. The LMU game was the most exciting game I've ever been a part of. The girls constantly celebrated themselves and kept pushing on the counter. The team collectively had goals, which is pretty amazing. It wasn't just one outstanding player, it was everyone. The LMU game felt like a really good team win and I'm really proud of all the girls and I know they're proud of themselves. We can't wait to play Arizona State tomorrow."

GAUCHOS 9, CAL STATE FULLERTON 8
The Gaucho attack revolved around Kuester in their opening match, with Santa Barbara's co-captain bringing in a five-goal haul against the Titans. After Mady scored a pair of first-quarter goals, Kuester got her first of the game to put Santa Barbara up, 3-0, six minutes in. Fullerton did get a goal back before the buzzer, but Kuester scored the first goal of the second quarter to restore Santa Barbara's three-goal cushion.
 
However, with just a little over two minutes until halftime, the Gauchos' lead had disappeared. Three Titan goals had tied the game at four, but Isabel Valaika stepped up to change that. The sophomore scored twice in less than 20 seconds to give Santa Barbara a 6-4 halftime lead. After the relatively high-scoring second quarter, the third was a defensive battle, as each team managed just a goal apiece. Kuester scored for the Gauchos, putting them up 7-4 at the time, but the Titans got one back just 30 seconds before the buzzer, putting the score at 7-5 entering the final frame.
 
Kuester scored her fourth and fifth goals of the game in that fourth quarter, putting Santa Barbara ahead, 9-5, entering the final two minutes of play. Those two minutes proved nervy for the Gauchos, as a five-meter penalty goal pulled the Titans within three with a minute and a half left. Fullerton scored again to pull within one, but it was with just 10 seconds left on the clock, and the Gauchos were able to hold on for the 9-8 victory.
 
GAUCHOS 14, No. 11 LMU 12
The first quarter of Santa Barbara's afternoon barnburner against LMU was the opposite of an indication of things to come, as the teams combined to score precisely one goal. It did come from a predictable source: Kuester's right hand. The senior converted a six-on-five opportunity for the Gauchos three and a half minutes into the game, giving the Blue and Gold their first lead.
 
The Lions took the lead for themselves in the second quarter, but only by one. Christina Mullane and Aidan Flynn scored to tie and then re-tie the game, and Valaika's goal with a minute and a half until halftime gave Santa Barbara their lead back. This time, they would keep it for good. Juju Amaral converted a five-meter penalty to make it a 5-3 advantage, and Loretta Hovey scored first after halftime to make it 6-3, Gauchos.
 
The second half was when the scoring really took off. The teams scored five goals each in the third quarter and four more apiece in the fourth, though Santa Barbara stayed ahead the whole time. When the Lions cut the lead to 6-5, Amaral and Imani Clemons scored to make it 8-5. While LMU scored three goals in the final 90 seconds of the third, Mady popped up with two of her own for the Gauchos, mixed in between the Lion goals to deny them any momentum. Heading into the fourth quarter, it was 10-8, Santa Barbara.
 
Valaika scored again to start the fourth quarter, and after LMU scored twice, the Gauchos managed to stretch their lead to four goals. Flynn scored again, and Mady completed her hat-trick before Jojo Scheer fired home to make it 14-10 with just two minutes left to play. LMU did score twice in those final two minutes, but the Gauchos held on for the upset victory.
 
UP NEXT
Santa Barbara rounds out the Triton Invitational on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the ninth-place game against No. 7 Arizona State. No live stream or live stats are available for the match; score updates will be provided on the team's social media accounts and ucsbgauchos.com when available.