SAN DIEGO – UCSB (3-1) split the final day of the Triton Invitational with a 12-5 loss to No. 3 Cal and an 11-6 triumph over No. 13 UC Davis.
Sophomore Shane Hauschild led the No. 7 Gauchos with three kills between the two matches, including two against the Aggies. Junior Mitchell Hamilton scored a pair of goals against his former school in the Golden Bears. Liam Gaughan paced the team in registering two assists and two field blocks, while Boris Jovanovic tallied a team-best two steals.
In the cage, Chris Whitelegge made both starts and recorded 27 saves, including 15 alone against the Aggies. Liam Lenihan closed out the match with UC Davis and made two saves while not allowing any goals.
UCSB will be back in action next weekend at the UCLA Invitational starting on Saturday.
CAL
The Gauchos opened the final day of the Triton Invitational against a Cal team that would finish the tournament undefeated. UCSB drew first blood at the 7:18 mark in the first half, as Mitchell Hamilton scored the first of his two goals of the mach. The Golden Bears quickly responded with a goal in the following possession, which opened a four-goal run. The Gauchos were able to put an end to their scoring spree, as Hamilton again found the back of the net on a penalty shot to put UCSB within three goals with 4:57 remaining in the first half.
Samer Alkateb and Derek Shoemaker netted the Gauchos’ two goals in the second half, but Cal was able to add to its lead and finished ahead 12-5.
UC DAVIS
UCSB was able to bounce back in a strong way with a dominant 11-6 win over UC Davis.
The Gauchos wasted no time in finding the scoreboard first in grabbing a 2-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Hauschild initially got UCSB in the scoring column at the 3:33 mark in the first quarter. Later in the waning seconds of the first period, Thomas Martinho recorded a goal to give the Gauchos a 2-0 lead.
UCSB’s staunch defense prevented UC Davis from scoring its first goal until there was 3:17 left in the second quarter. That score made it a one-goal contest, but the Gauchos fired back with two more goals before the halftime break courtesy of Jovanovic and Nicholas Jordan.
The Gauchos tacked on four more scores in the third quarter to take a commanding 8-3 lead heading into the final period. First, Hauschild added his second goal of the match and was followed by Reed Cotterill just over a minute later.
Santa Barbara closed out the quarter by netting two goals in the final 1:18, as Jordan scored the first while Martinho beat the buzzer with one second left to give UCSB the 8-3 advantage.
UCSB rode its large lead to its third victory of the weekend, as the team matched UC Davis’s three-goal effort in the fourth to end the match 11-6. Scoring for the Gauchos in the fourth were Anthony Buljan, Nick Wiley, and Cameron Yates.
