Feb. 28, 2016 IRVINE, Calif. - Junior center Carla Tocchini scored two of her team-high three goals in a fourth-quarter rally but No. 5 UC Davis was unable to erase a five-goal deficit in falling to No. 3 California, 9-6, in the seventh-place game of the UCI Invitational women's water polo tournament Sunday afternoon. The Aggies previously fell to the No. 9 hosts by an 8-5 final in the morning matchup.
UC Davis moves to 11-8 for the year.
Junior utility Bryn Lutz also totaled three goals for the day, netting two in the opener against UCI then adding another on a power-play opportunity in the afternoon loss to the Golden Bears.
The Aggies fell behind early in the loss to the Anteaters, surrendering a fast-break goal and a five-meter penalty to start the contest, then giving up an exclusion goal at the 3:34 mark of the second to slip into a 4-1 hole. Sophomore Greta Kohlmoos put UC Davis on the board late in the first quarter and Lutz converted a penalty shot in the second but UCI held a 6-2 edge at the halftime break.
Sophomore Sammy Preston, Lutz and senior Allyson Hansen each scored goals in the second half but the Aggies never closed the gap to fewer than three goals for the remainder.
UC Davis battled early against California, which had moved into the seventh-place game after an upset loss to Michigan in the morning. Tocchini drew first blood on a lob three minutes into the contest, then Lutz completed a 6-on-5 opportunity early in the second frame to equalize at 2-2. The score held at that impasse into the halftime break.
However, Cal scored four unanswered in the third quarter and extended its lead to as much as 8-3 and 9-4 in the fourth. Tocchini cut into the Golden Bear lead with goals at 3:11 and 1:43, but UC Davis was unable to shrink the margin any further.
The UCI Invitational annually features the toughest field of any tournament, with nothing but Top 25 teams in attendance. The Aggies return to action in the one-day Davis Challenge with Cal and Santa Clara on Friday.
2016 UCI INVITATIONAL, DAY TWO
Anteater Aquatics Center • UC Davis games only.
| No. 9 UC Irvine | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | 8 |
| No. 5 UC Davis | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | - | 5 |
GOALS - UCI: Corinna Toledo 2, Gabby Pierandozzi 2, Mary Brooks 1, Kelli Baumgardner 1, Emily Carlson 1, Keana Eldridge 1. UC DAVIS: Bryn Lutz 2, Greta Kohlmoos 1, Sammy Preston 1, Allyson Hansen 1.
| No. 5 UC Davis | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | - | 6 |
| No. 3 California | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | - | 9 |
GOALS - UC DAVIS: Carla Tocchini 3, Bryn Lutz 1, McKenna Hauss 1, Hannah Harvey 1. CAL: Emily Loughlin 4, Sarah Siepker 2, Genevieve Weed 1, Kindred Paul 1, Carla Carrega 1.
