UCSB closed out the Winter Invitational in playing a pair of competitive matches with No. 16 Loyola Marymount and No. 5 Arizona State at Campus Pool on Sunday.
Though the Gauchos (2-4) fell in both contests, they put up tough battles between the ranked teams and even dueled the Lions into quadruple overtime.
VS. LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
No. 14 UC Santa Barbara was defeated by No. 16 LMU 10-9 in a thrilling match that took four overtimes to decide on Sunday afternoon at the Campus Pool. It was a heartbreaking loss for the Gauchos who fought from behind most of the day and came up big in many clutch situations.
Beck led all scorers with five goals, while Camila Schafer and Samantha Murphy led UCSB with two goals each. Schafer has now scored two plus goals in five straight contests.
The Lions scored the first two goals of the match before Camila Schafer found the back of the net tipping in a shot from close in after countless blocks by the LMU goalie. Neither team was able to lead by more than two as both sides traded goals all day.
Murphy skipped in a goal from the right side putting the Gauchos up by one with two minutes to play in the third quarter. Bridgette Alvarez responded for the Lions with a goal as the third quarter buzzer sounded to tie the match at five heading into the final period.
LMU scored the first two goals in the fourth quarter putting the Lions up 7-5. Forty seconds later, Santa Barbara’s Betsy Hendrix bounced in a goal from the right side pulling the Gauchos within one point. With roughly one minute to play in the match, Murphy scored her second goal of the day tying the score at seven a piece forcing overtime.
LMU’s Ivana Castro scored the first goal in the extra period from straight on finding the back right of the net giving the Lion’s an 8-7 lead with two minutes to play.
Down a point with the pressure on, the Gauchos would not back down. Camila Schafer found herself right in front of the net and scored on a hook shot from close in tying the score back up at eight with a mere 38 seconds to spare in OT.
In the second overtime, Castro came through for the Lions again in scoring a minute and a half to go up by one, however the Gauchos would respond.
Out of a timeout with thirty seconds left, Miranda Schrader scored from deep center pulling the Gauchos even once again ultimately forcing triple overtime.
Neither team was able to score in the third overtime period as both teams buckled down defensively. In quadruple overtime, LMU’s Mackenzie Beck scored from close in after a series of pump fakes giving the Lions the 10-9 victory.
VS. ARIZONA STATE
In their final game of the tournament, the Gauchos hosted No. 5 Arizona State in a late afternoon match up at the Campus Pool and lost 12-4.
“We were able to carry our momentum from the first game and entered with a tough mindset,” said head coach Serela Kay. “The big takeaway from this tournament is trusting the process. From start to end we were a different team. As we go on, we’re going to learn the team chemistry, trying different rotations with communication being key.”
UCSB came out swinging first with a goal by sophomore Brenna Thomas within thirty seconds of the game. Arizona State answered back at the 4:10 mark to set the score at one apiece. Gaucho goalkeeper Mackenzie Brokaw made numerous outstanding blocks to keep the total tied as the first quarter came to an end.
Both teams’ offenses were in full force throughout the first half as each end of the pool was continually swarmed with players vying for a shot. Among the relentless Gaucho aggressors were Samantha Murphy and Jessie Porter, who positioned themselves for great shots but would see the ball deflect off the crossbar time after time. Jade Wentz Fitzgerald would end up shooting the second goal for UCSB in the last three minutes of the half but not before Sun Devil Izabella Chiappini had her own goal to give her team a 3-2 lead.
The Gauchos took command of the third quarter after they allowed Arizona State two goals. Murphy jumpstarted the offensive charge with under three and a half minutes remaining, followed by a Miranda Schrader goal. At the 1:56 mark sophomore Taylor Shore made a backhanded throw towards the back of the net as the shot clock expired. Murphy closed out the quarter with another goal during a six on five setup.
Just as UCSB looked ready to upset Arizona State, the Sun Devils retaliated with a six-goal fourth quarter led largely by Chiappini and Alkistis Benekou. The six goals came sporadically throughout the last eight minutes of the game with one UCSB goal by freshman Elizabeth Hendrix coming at the 6:14 mark. Arizona State would come away victorious, winning 12-4.
Overall, six different Gaucho players had at least one goal, with the only double scorer in the game being Murphy. The Gauchos ended the tournament and start their season with a 2-4 record.
