LONG BEACH — UCSB couldn’t recover from a slow start and suffered an 11-5 loss to top-seeded Cal State Northridge in round two of the Big West women’s water polo tournament on Saturday.
The Gauchos (18-11, 3-2) will play Pacific on Sunday at 3:45 p.m. for third place.
The Gauchos put themselves in a hole early, going down 3-0 in the first quarter. The Matadors (28-7, 4-1) picked up another goal before UCSB finally fired back, scoring three straight in the final two minutes of the second and bringing the score to 4-3 at half.
In the third, Northridge went on a four-goal run for an 8-3 lead going into the fourth. In the final period, the Gauchos found the net twice, but it was too little, too late.
Katie Kepner, Claire Buchanan, Nancy Ruano, Christie Clark and Lizzie Rouleau scored for UCSB.
