LA JOLLA, Calif. — The No. 19 UC Santa Barbara Women's Water Polo team made it three games in a row with at least nine goals on Sunday, but it was still not enough to earn a result against No. 25 Pomona-Pitzer, the Gauchos falling by an 11-9 scoreline. Santa Barbara's attack was balanced, with Isabel Valaika, Hadley Hall and Emmerson Ferriera each having two-goal days.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Things started just fine for the Gauchos, with Valaika and Hall firing them into a 2-0 lead over the first five minutes of play. However, one bad stretch spelled doom again, as the Sagehens rattled off seven unanswered goals between the 2:20 mark in the first quarter and 1:00 mark of the second, when Zoe Ann Watson finally ended the run. Two more Pomona-Pitzer goals in the final minute of the half put the Gauchos face-to-face with a 9-3 deficit at the interval.
 
Lydia Soderberg took over in goal to start the second half and built on her nine-save game from Saturday by keeping a crucial shutout over the course of the third quarter, giving the offense an opportunity to get back in the game. Hall obliged by scoring a five-meter penalty, but that was the only goal off the frame. The fightback continued in the fourth, with Valaika and Molly Souza both tallying to make it 9-6. A Sagehen goal made the Gauchos' hole a bit deeper again, but Ferriera scored twice in 40 seconds to bring her side within two. Pomona-Pitzer scored their final goal of the game with 2:40 left on the clock. When Eliza Harlow dented the twine with 2:21 left to play, there was ample time for a comeback, but for the second game in a row, it would not materialize and the 11-9 scoreline was the final.
 
UP NEXT
The Gauchos' path to ending this skid is not an easy one, as Santa Barbara will head to Tempe, Arizona next weekend to take part in the ASU Invitational. Over two days, the Gauchos will face No. 10 Fresno State, No. 19 San Diego State, No. 17 Pacific and the hosting No. 6 Sun Devils.