It was another beautiful day in Santa Barbara as the UCSB Winter Invite began at 8 am Saturday morning at Campus Pool. No. 17 UC Santa Barbara (5-3) set the standard for tournament play as it won both of its matches. The Gauchos kicked off the tournament with a dominating win over Sonoma State (1-2), 10-2, and later defeated No. 19 Cal State Northridge (1-1), 9-6.
The start of the first match was no surprise as the Gauchos carried their momentum from their previous victory over Concordia on Friday afternoon into their first game against Sonoma State.
Freshman Lauren Martin scored the first goal of the game midway through the quarter, firing up the Gauchos. Junior Bryce Winton then came to life, scoring the next two goals, enabling UCSB to take the early and strong lead of 3-0.
UCSB’s defense was impeccable, keeping Sonoma out of the game until the last three minutes of the first half. This was not before Winton sank her third consecutive goal into the back of the Seawolves’ net. UCSB came out of the quarter with a three-goal lead, 4-1.
The Gauchos’ next half reflected the first when Martin scored another goal early in the third quarter. Winton followed right behind her scoring the next two goals, bringing her total to five goals.
Freshman Claryann Olofsson-Loo scored the Gauchos’ fourth consecutive goal of the third quarter, and it was not until the last 37 seconds of the stanza that Sonoma State scored again, still far from close to the Gauchos at 8-2.
It was all UCSB goals after that. Olofsson-Loo and freshman Bernadette Bevins scored the final two goals of the game. The Gauchos set the bar for the rest of the tournament as they claimed the victory, 10-2.
With two consecutive wins under their belt, the Gauchos took on Cal State Northridge later in the afternoon. Junior Shelby Haroldson took an early start in the game when she scored within the first minute. Northridge fired back with a goal less than 20 seconds later, but junior Rachel Nelson responded with a goal within the same minute putting the Gauchos in the lead 2-1. After back and forth goals, one from junior Kacey Creek, UCSB ended the quarter in the lead, 3-2.
Northridge got the first goal of the second quarter, but the Gauchos took back the reigns when Martin and sophomore Molly Hafferkamp scored the next two consecutive goals. UCSB came out of the half on top, 5-3.
After a quick goal by Northridge to open the third quarter, the Gauchos were quick to retaliate with two back-to-back goals by junior Katie Zakula. Following her shooting spree, Hafferkamp sunk her second goal of the game into the back of the net, putting the Gauchos ahead 8-4.
The Gauchos sealed the victory in the fourth quarter, with a goal scored by junior Nancy Ruano. Northridge scored two in the last quarter, but it was not enough to beat the Gauchos. The final score of the game was 9-6.
The Gauchos could not have pulled off these victories without the help of their goalie, junior Ruth Milne. Milne had nine saves in the first match, but that was nothing compared to her career-high of 22 saves in the second match.
The Gauchos stand at 5-4 on the season. The UCSB Winter Invite will conclude on Sunday and the first UCSB game is at 12:20 pm against Cal State Bakersfield.
UC Santa Barbara 10, Sonoma State 2
Sonoma – 0 1 1 0 – 2
UCSB – 3 1 4 2 – 10
Sonoma State Goals: Colette Red 1, Caitlin Risden 1
Sonoma State Saves: Kayley Kemp 9
UCSB Goals: Bryce Winton 5, Lauren Martin 2, Claryann Olofsson-Loo 2, Molly Hafferkamp 1
UCSB Saves: Ruth Milne 9
UC Santa Barbara 9, Cal State Northridge 6
UCSB – 3 2 3 1 – 9
Northridge – 2 1 1 2 – 6
UCSB Goals: Katie Zakula 2, Molly Hafferkamp 2, Lauren Martin 1, Nancy Ruano 1, Shelby Haroldson 1, Kacey Creek 1, Rachel Nelson 1
UCSB Saves: Ruth Milne 22
Northridge Goals: Marisa Young 3, Lindsy Nelson 1, Leah Janke 1, Jenny Jamison 1
Northridge Saves: Kiernan Davis 9
