SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The UC Santa Barbara Women's Water Polo team opened their big weekend slate by taking on No. 10 UC Irvine Friday evening. While the Gauchos more than doubled their scoring output from the last time they faced the Anteaters, they were not able to pull the upset, falling by a 19-7 scoreline. Team captain Cami Mras scored twice to lead Santa Barbara's offense, with rookies Emmerson Ferriera and Brynn Tully both denting the twine as well. Loretta Hovey scored for the fourth consecutive game, while Isabel Valaika made it 10 assists in three Big West games with a hat-trick of helpers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Santa Barbara fell in a 3-0 hole early, but Ferriera capitalized on a six-on-five opportunity to get the Gauchos' first goal of the evening. UC Irvine answered, but Hovey fired home less than 15 seconds after the Anteaters scored to keep it a two-goal game. At least, for the moment. The visitors held a 6-2 lead at the end of the first quarter and an 11-3 lead at halftime, despite Hadley Hall firing home from long range midway through the second quarter.
 
Irvine scored on its first possession to start the second half, but for the seven minutes and change afterwards, the Gaucho defense had its best period of the evening, limiting the visitors to just two more scores. Goalkeeper Lydia Soderberg played a key role in that effort, as did Marta Maninetti, who hounded the Anteaters' attackers and center while defending her post. Soderberg finished with four saves in her 16 minutes of work, while Maninetti tallied a pair of steals and a pair of field blocks. However, Santa Barbara's attack was feeling similarly frustrated, with Mras and Valaika their only scorers in the third.
 
A pair of penalty calls against the Gauchos — one late in the third and one early in the fourth — did not help their defensive efforts, but Valaika's score had answered for one of them, and Tully canceled out the other with a tremendous goal from outside early on in the fourth. Mras picked up her second goal of the day with a minute left on the clock, though by that time the score was already 18-7. The Anteaters scored the final goal of the game.
 
UP NEXT
UC Santa Barbara is back in the water on Sunday, March 8 at 1 p.m. for another high-level clash, this time hosting No. 8 Long Beach State. Admission to the game at Santa Barbara High School is free and open until the venue's capacity is reached.