April 3, 2010
STOCKTON, Calif. - Despite three goals by junior Ariel Feeney in the Aggies' second-quarter comeback, No. 16 Pacific held on to a 7-5 win over No. 18 UC Davis in Big West Conference women's water polo action at Chris Kjeldsen Pool Saturday afternoon.
The Aggies fall to 14-13 overall and 0-1 in conference play. The Tigers improve to 18-8, winning their first Big West contest.
Juniors Dara Tawarahara and Catherine Collette each tallied two goals for Pacific. Senior Dana Nelsen scored a goal from two meters in the third period, while freshman Jessica Dunn converted a 6-on-5 opportunity in the fourth to round out UC Davis' offense. Senior Casey Hines recorded nine saves for the Aggies.
The Tigers stormed to five unanswered goals to start the game, including Collette's shot within seconds after the opening sprint. Tawahara and junior driver Bridget Geck each hit extra-player goals in the first quarter to help Pacific craft a 4-0 lead, then Jasmine Myles tacked on a fifth straight just a minute into the second period.
UC Davis, which had missed on its first 12 shots of the game, rallied back in that second frame. Feeney broke the scoreless drought, converting a Dana Nelsen assist with 5:16 to go, the struck again on a 6-on-5 chance with three minutes remaining in the half. She completed her hat trick at the 1:14 mark in the second period, collecting a pass from fellow sophomore Carey Faber.
The Aggies closed the gap to 5-4 after the halftime break when sophomore Kaylee Miller found Nelsen inside at the 5:06 mark. Meanwhile, Pacific missed on four straight 6-on-5 chances during the second period and early part of the third. The Tigers broke their scoreless stretch with Tawahara's successful 6-on-5 attempt with 1:39 remaining.
UC Davis had chances to reduce the deficit to a single goal in the fourth as two outside shots caromed off the cage. Collette then extended the Tiger lead to three on a 6-on-5 situation. She took a cross pass and redirected it inside the near post at the 5:03 mark. Nelsen drew an exclusion to provide the Aggies with another power play, which Dunn converted with 2:35 left in the game. However, that proved to be the final goal for either team. Pacific went into clock-control mode for the last few possessions to protect its lead.
UC Davis continues its Big West Conference schedule with road games at Long Beach State and UC Irvine on April 10 and 11, respectively.
