Feb. 9, 2014
LA JOLLA, Calif. - Junior Keelia Houston completed a hat trick while three Aggies scored goals in a fourth-quarter comeback to help No. 15 UC Davis finish an 8-7 upset of No. 13 Indiana in the ninth-place game of the Triton Invitational women's water polo tournament at UC San Diego Sunday evening.
The win over the Hoosiers marked the second one-goal victory of the day for UC Davis, which edged No. 16 UC Santa Barbara by a 6-5 final to start Sunday's action. The Aggies even their overall record to 5-5.
Elsie Fullerton, Allyson Hansen and Erin Schlueter scored even-strength goals during a span of 75 seconds in the final quarter to erase what had been a 7-5 deficit through three frames. Hansen netted the contest's first goal and Houston delivered on a five-meter penalty shot and a 6-on-5 chance to give UC Davis a 3-2 lead in the first seven minutes, but IU senior Shae Fournier's first-quarter hat trick equalized shortly before the second.
The Aggies failed to convert on five power plays in the second quarter but surrendered only a Rebecca Gerrity goal to fall behind by a 4-3 deficit at the break. Gerrity added two more goals for her hat trick in the third, the last of which boosted the Hoosiers to a 7-5 edge with 20 seconds. However, UC Davis locked down its cage in the finale. Fullerton halved the deficit with 3:19 to go, Hansen equalized less than 30 seconds later, then Schlueter supplied the winner at the 2:04 mark in the fourth.
In Sunday's early contest, the Aggies climbed out of an early 2-0 hole to take a 3-2 first-half lead. Senior Hannah Curran and Fullerton each completed 6-on-5 opportunities to tie the contest early in the second, then Schlueter's natural goal briefly gave the Aggies a one-goal edge with 2:10 before halftime. However, UCSB's Jenna Solberg answered on the next trip down to tie the contest at 3-3 at halftime.
Gaucho sophomore Samantha Murphy restored her team's lead on the first possession of the third quarter, only to have UC Davis' Katrina Husted answer just 19 ticks later, setting the board at 4-4. Hansen struck the go-ahead with less than five minutes remaining in the third, then Husted padded the lead to 6-4 with her second goal of the frame at 2:24.
The Aggie defense held UCSB in check for almost the entirety of the fourth quarter, only allowing a 6-on-5 score by freshman Carly Christian with 44 seconds left. The Gauchos set up an after-timeout play in the final :08 but could not force the overtime period.
This is the fifth time in seven meetings that UC Davis and UCSB has battled to a one-goal margin. The Gauchos had claimed the last two, including a 10-9 battle at last year's Big West Conference tournament. The Aggies had also fallen short in close battles with the Hoosiers in recent seasons, including a 9-8 setback last year and a 15-13 overtime heartbreaker in 2011.
UC Davis returns home to host the three-day Aggie Shootout, beginning with Friday's 4 p.m. twilight matchup with San Jose State.
2014 TRITON INVITATIONAL, DAY 2
UC San Diego Canyonview Aquatic Center
| #16 UC Santa Barbara | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | 5 |
| #15 UC Davis | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | - | 6 |
GOALS - UCSB: Brenna Thomas 1, Samantha Murphy 1, Jenna Solberg 1, Holly Smith 1, Carly Christian 1. UC Davis: Katrina Husted 2, Hannah Curran 1, Elsie Fullerton 1, Erin Schlueter 1, Allyson Hansen 1.
| #15 UC Davis | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | - | 8 |
| #13 Indiana | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | - | 7 |
GOALS - UC Davis: Keelia Houston 3, Allyson Hansen 2, Carla Tocchini 1, Elsie Fullerton 1, Erin Schlueter 1. IU: Shae Fournier 3, Rebecca Gerrity 3, Colleen McNaugh 1.
