Jan. 28, 2017

BERKELEY, Calif. - Senior Hannah Harvey, junior Paige Virgil and junior Greta Kohlmoos each recorded hat tricks while sophomore Annie Kutt scored the game-winning goal with nine seconds left in regulation, lifting No. 19 UC Davis to a 13-12 win over No. 22 CSUN in the opening game of Cal's Speedo Cup women's water polo tournament at Spieker Aquatics Center Saturday.

The Aggies followed with a tough 11-9 battle against No. 4 California to finish the one-day event with a 1-1 record. UC Davis moves to 1-5 for the year. In Saturday's opener, UC Davis stormed to a 4-1 lead through the first quarter and an 8-4 edge at halftime before allowing CSUN into a second-half battle. Kohlmoos netted consecutive goals in the Aggies' first-quarter start, then hit her third less than two minutes into the second frame. Virgil's back-to-back scores made it 8-3 with 2:41 left in the half. However, the Matadors scored five of the next six in a run that resulted in a 9-9 tie at the 2:12 mark in the third. Katelyn Fairchild scored that equalizer as part of her five-goal output for the day. Harvey hit a lob to close out the third quarter with UC Davis up by a 10-9 margin. The two teams battled to two more ties in the fourth quarter, and CSUN briefly took a 12-11 lead on a Madeline Sanchez five-meter penalty conversion with 2:22 on the clock. Virgil answered with her own penalty goal on the next possession, evening the contest at 12-12. With 37 seconds left, Aggie sophomore McKenna Hauss fouled out of the game but the 5-on-6 defense protected the cage. Finally, Kutt completed a counterattack to deliver the win. The Aggies continued their momentum into the nightcap against the host Golden Bears, leading 2-1 after the first quarter and holding a 4-4 lead at halftime. Virgil hit back-to-back goals in the opener, first on a penalty shot after Kohlmoos drew the five-meter foul then another in transition after the ensuing restart. Cal erased the deficit with goals on either side of the quarter break before Hauss put UC Davis back up, 3-2, with her strike at the 6:51 mark in the second. Freshman Chloe Robinson completed a power-play chance to put the Aggies up by 4-3 in the final seconds of the half, only to have Cal's Dora Antal answer the other way. The two teams went to the break in a 4-4 deadlock. The Golden Bears exploded for four unanswered during the first five minutes of the third quarter, crafting an 8-4 edge. UC Davis remained steadfast, pouring in three straight to reduce the deficit to one. Robinson completed a 6-on-5 chance, then redshirt freshman Cassidy Smithson converted another power play for her first collegiate goal. Finally, Sammy Preston hit a perimeter shot with four ticks left to reduce the Cal lead to 8-7 at the end of three quarters. UC Davis could not equalize in the fourth, but managed to stay within a one-goal margin on two different occasions: both on Kohlmoos goals. The win over CSUN and the valiant effort against perennial power Cal marked a sizable step forward for the Aggies, who began the season with an 0-4 showing at the LouStrong Memorial tournament. UC Davis returns to action at the Stanford Invitational on February 4-5. 2017 SPEEDO CUP WOMEN'S WATER POLO TOURNAMENT
Spieker Aquatics Center - UC Davis games only.

No. 22 CSUN	1	4	4	3	-	12
No. 19 UC Davis	4	4	2	3	-	13

GOALS - CSUN: Katelyn Fairchild 5, Madeline Sanchez 4, Shannon Hovanesian 2, M cKenzie Pollei 1. UC DAVIS : Hannah Harvey 4, Greta Kohlmoos 3, Paige Virgil 3, Jill Bushman 1, Heather Johnson 1, Annie Kutt 1.

No. 19 UC Davis	2	2	3	2	-	9
No. 4 California	1	3	4	3	-	11

GOALS - UC DAVIS: Paige Virgil 2, Greta Kohlmoos 2, Chloe Robinson 2, McKenna Hauss 1, Sammy Preston 1, Cassidy Smithson 1. CAL: Dora Antal 3, Emily Loughlin 2, Anna Illes 2, Genevieve Weed 1, Kindred Paul 1, Kacey Avalos 1, Stephani Mutafyan 1.