Feb. 7, 2015

LA JOLLA, Calif. -

Sophomore utility Bryn Lutz scored her first collegiate hat trick in a 10-8 loss to 11th-ranked CSUN, then added another two goals in a 6-1 upset of No. 9 Loyola Marymount, helping No. 16 UC Davis forge a first-day split at the Triton Invitational women's water polo tournament at UC San Diego's Canyonview Aquatic Center.

The Aggies improve to 3-5 for the year. The single goal allowed in Saturday's finale marks the first time since March 10, 2012 that UC Davis has yielded only one goal, and the first time since a 6-1 victory against UCSD that the Aggies have thwarted a nationally ranked team to such a low output.

Lutz scored a power-play goal to end the second quarter against the Lions, bringing the first half to a close with UC Davis ahead, 4-1. She netted her second less than three minutes into the fourth. Senior Elsie Fullerton, senior Keelia Houston, freshman Paige Virgil and junior Allyson Hansen also scored for the Aggies during the defensive showdown.

Senior goalkeeper Jillian Wilding nabbed three steals and posted eight saves against 16 shots in 29 minutes before handing the cage over to sophomore Olivia Husted, who saved the only shot she faced. Senior Laura Lopez scored the Lions' only goal with 1:22 left in the opening quarter, then went scoreless for the remaining 25 minutes despite eight 6-on-5 opportunities.

In Saturday's early game, Lutz recorded three goals while Fullerton and Hansen each netted two scores, but 11th-ranked CSUN pulled away from an early battle to dispatch the Aggies by a 10-8 final. The two teams locked up with four ties in the first half, including a 4-4 score after Katie Kammer's goal midway through the second. Kammer converted a 6-on-5 chance at the 1:41 mark to give the Matadors a 5-4 edge, while teammate Marisa Young posted four goals after the break to keep CSUN ahead the rest of the way.

Lutz scored two of her three goals in the opening quarter, the first to draw first blood at the 6:23 mark, then the second to even the tally at 3-3 with 23 ticks to go. Her third goal put UC Davis up by a 4-3 margin with just under five minutes on the clock in the second frame, but that proved to be the Aggies' last lead.

Hansen scored a natural in the third quarter and a 6-on-5 goal in the fourth. Fullerton's goals put UC Davis up by a 2-1 edge in the first quarter while her second brought the Aggies to within a 10-8 deficit with a minute left in the contest. UC Davis soon after drew a power-play opportunity, but could not convert.

The Aggies will face No. 14 Michigan at 10:40 a.m. on Sunday, then will take on either No. 18 UC Santa Barbara or Santa Clara to settle the ninth through 12th places in the tournament.

2015 TRITON INVITATIONAL, DAY 1
UC San Diego Canyonview Aquatic Center • UC Davis games only.

No. 16 UC Davis	3	1	1	3	-	8
No. 11 CSUN	3	2	3	2	-	10

GOALS - UC Davis: Bryn Lutz 3, Allyson Hansen 2, Elsie Fullerton 2, Keelia Houston 1. CSUN: Marisa Young 4, Katie Kammer 3, Kelcy Barott 1, MacKenzy Fowler 1, Taryn Kamimoto 1.

No. 16 UC Davis	1	3	0	2	-	6
No. 9 Loyola Marymount	1	0	0	0	-	1

GOALS - UC Davis: Bryn Lutz 2, Elsie Fullerton 1, Paige Virgil 1, Keelia Houston 1, Allyson Hansen 1. LMU: Laura Lopez 1.