TEMPE, Ariz. — Loretta Hovey and Gigi Rimlinger will be bringing hat tricks home as souvenirs from their time in Tempe after each Gaucho put up three goals in one of the UC Santa Barbara Women's Water Polo team's two contests on Sunday. Rimlinger put together her first career three-goal game against No. 20 Pacific in the morning action, improving on what was already a landmark weekend for the freshman from Newport Beach after her first career goal on Saturday. The sophomore Hovey last had a hat-trick in January of 2025 and put three past the weekend's host, No. 6 Arizona State, in the final game of the weekend. Lainey Weintre also got a goal against the Tigers to celebrate her birthday, adding to two from Saturday, and Eliza Harlow put a pair past the Sun Devils.
 
UC SANTA BARBARA 7, No. 20 PACIFIC 17
Weintre was not waiting around to celebrate her 20^th with a score, putting home the Gauchos' first goal of the day with two minutes left in the first quarter. Zoe Ann Watson scored with ten ticks left on the clock to keep the Blue and Gold within a pair at the end of the opening frame. Rimlinger kicked off the second quarter with her first of the game to bring Santa Barbara within a goal, but the Tigers scored eight goals in a row between that point and the five-minute mark in the third quarter.
 
Isabel Valaika's goal put an end to the Pacific run, and Molly Souza combined with Rimlinger for a 3-0 run of the Gauchos' own later on in the third. The defense, with goalie Lydia Soderberg playing as the anchor, had its best quarter of the day in the fourth, holding the Tigers to just two goals. Soderberg finished with five saves in 16 minutes of action in the game.
 
UC SANTA BARBARA 9, No. 6 ARIZONA STATE 20
Hovey kicked off her hat-trick campaign quickly, scoring on the powerplay to answer an ASU six-on-five goal, all in the first minute of the game. The whole opening half of the game was electric, with the teams combining to score 18 times in the first 16 minutes. Harlow contributed to that deluge in the opening quarter, and Hovey got her second with a five-meter penalty for the first goal of the second quarter. Hadly Hall joined the fun in what was an 11-goal second period, as did Valaika before Hovey finished her first-half hat trick with 2:53 to spare.
 
Cami Mras recorded the first goal after halftime, though Watson was the only Gaucho to join the captain on the third-quarter scoresheet. Harlow picked up her second goal of the day in the fourth, Santa Barbara's lone goal in that quarter. While it was by no means a day for goalies, Keira Wall did make a career-high seven saves in the game.
 
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will get a week off before hitting the road once again to open Big West play at No. 16 UC Davis, Feb. 21.