In her third to last regular season home game as a Gaucho, senior Claire Buchanan posted a career-high five goals to help No. 14 UC Santa Barbara (17-8) soar over Brown (7-8), 12-5, in a non-conference game held at Campus Pool.
The Gauchos wasted no time and got off to a fast start as Buchanan recorded her first goal of the day with less than a minute off the clock. UCSB went up 2-0 after a goal from Kacey Creek, who had two goals on the day.
At the 2:03 mark, Brown freshman Kate Woods recorded the Bears’ first goal. Woods would finish the game with a hat trick but was one of few productive scorers for Brown.
By the end of the first period, Buchanan had recorded her second goal and the Gauchos led, 3-1.
A tough defensive game plan was key in the second period as UCSB held the Bears scoreless. Goalkeeper Ruth Milne recorded two blocks during the period and totaled four for the game. She also recorded multiple steals, which halted the potential fast break scoring opportunities for the Bears.
The Nelson sisters, Kathryn and Rachel, both netted a goal before the end of the second period and the Gauchos took a 5-1 lead into halftime.
Woods added goal number two for the Bears during a man-up situation just 30 seconds into the third period. K. Nelson extended the Gaucho lead back to four as she earned her second goal of the day.
Brown recorded its only back-to-back goals in the game with the first coming on a penalty shot from Woods and the second on a goal by Samantha Ryu at the 1:44 mark.
The Gauchos earned back-to-back goals for themselves before the period ended as Buchanan notched her fourth score of the game and Bryce Winton got on the scoreboard as she added a goal with 43 seconds remaining in the quarter.
Buchanan started the fourth period of the game with her final goal of the day, extending the lead to six, 10-4. Creek added her second goal of the day one minute later.
Both teams would record another goal before the game was over, but the Gauchos had sealed the victory and went on to finish off the Bears, 12-5.
The win helped UCSB improve to 17-8 overall on the season as it gets ready for conference play this weekend. The Gauchos will face Pacific (16-8) on Saturday and UC Davis (16-7) on Sunday. Both games will be held at Campus Pool and both will start at noon.
