April 29, 2011
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Junior center Dakotah Mohr scored a game-high four goals, including three in the first quarter, to lead fifth-seeded UC Davis to an 8-4 win over fourth-seeded Pacific in the first round of the Big West Conference women's water polo tournament at UC Santa Barbara's Campus Pool Friday.
The 18th-ranked Aggies, who advance to face UC Irvine in the conference semifinal round, improve to 19-11 for the season. The Tigers, No. 17 in Wednesday's poll, dips to 20-12 overall.
Mohr scored three goals in the first five minutes of the game then added her fourth early in the third period to lead all scorers. Sophomore utility Jessica Dunn chipped in two goals within a span of a minute for UC Davis. Ariel Feeney and Michelle Hook also scored a goal, while goalkeeper Riane Woods recorded a career-high 15 saves in front of the Aggie cage.
For Pacific, seniors Dara Tawarahara and Bethany Quertermous each scored two goals. Tawarahara's first goal came on a five-meter penalty midway through the third period.
The Aggies never trailed in a game in which they held their foes to a 1-for-10 success rate on 6-on-5 chances. After Mohr's early outburst crafted a 3-0 lead, Quertermous scored an extra-player goal to cut the first-quarter tally to 3-1, then hit a natural goal to reduce the deficit to one early in the second. However, UC Davis scored the game's next four, holding a 5-3 halftime edge and a 7-3 advantage through three quarters. Dunn scored with 35 seconds remaining in the first half then another less than 30 seconds after the intermission.
Woods was particularly potent in the second frame, tallying six saves.
Saturday's UC Irvine-UC Davis semifinal takes place at 3:30. The winner of the Big West Conference earns the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Championship, held May 13-15 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
| #18 UC Davis (19-11) | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | 8 |
| #17 Pacific (20-12) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 4 |
GOALS - UC Davis: Dakotah Mohr 4, Jessica Dunn 2, Ariel Feeney 1, Michelle Hook 1. Pacific: Bethany Quertermous 2, Dara Tawarahara 2,
GOALIE SAVES - UC Davis: Riane Woods 15 (32:00). Pacific: Michele Relton 13 (32:00).
