No. 17 UC Santa Barbara defeated Sonoma State 11-7 and gained another victory over No. 15 UC San Diego 12-9 in pair of women’s water polo games in Hawaii on Saturday.
Against Sonoma State, UCSB opened the game with two goals from freshman Jessie Porter and senior Kacey Creek in less than a minute of play. Creek notched another goal in for the Gauchos, but Sonoma responded with three goals to end the quarter tied 3-3. Freshman Bryn Hudson opened the second quarter with a quick goal, and from there the Gauchos never looked back, ultimately cruising to an 11-7 victory over the Seawolves.
UCSB opened the match at San Diego with three consecutive goals, while senior Ruth Milne guarded the goal, only allowing one goal in for the Tritons with 0:35 seconds to play in the first quarter.
The Tritons came back in the second quarter and were able to tie the game at 4-4 with four minutes to play. However, the Gauchos stepped up and took the lead 7-4 at half. Freshmen Samantha Murphy and Jessie Porter led the team with three goals each, while Ruth Milne tallied seven saves, carrying the Gauchos to another victory over UC San Diego 12-9 in the Big West Conference.
UCSB is now 18-10 overall and 2-2 in the Big West Conference. The Gauchos will continue their season at home against No. 6 San Diego State on Saturday, April 6.
