March 11, 2017

DAVIS, Calif. - Sophomore Annie Kutt scored four goals while senior goalkeeper Avery Dotterer posted 12 saves, propelling No. 14 UC Davis to a 9-6 win over No. 10t UC Santa Barbara in Big West Conference women's water polo action at Schaal Aquatics Center Saturday.

The Aggies improve to 12-13 overall and open conference play at 1-0. The Gauchos slip to 14-7 for the year and 0-1 in Big West games. Juniors Paige Virgil and Greta Kohlmoos each added two goals for UC Davis, who never trailed in the contest. The Aggies scored three unanswered to start the contest, led 5-2 at halftime, and held a 7-3 edge heading into the final quarter. Senior Sammy Preston accounted for the Aggies' ninth goal. For the Gauchos, freshman Sarah Snyder and senior Taylor Shore each netted a pair of goals. Kohlmoos assisted Kutt on a counterattack in the first minute of play, then scored her own goal on a sweep shot to lift UC Davis to a 2-0 start. Dotterer stopped two 6-on-5 shots and Kutt added a pair of steals in the first quarter to keep UCSB off the board. Kutt then hit the penalty shot after Jill Bushman drew a five-meter foul to start the second, extending the Aggie lead to three. Snyder converted a power play to end the nearly 11-minute scoring drought for the Gauchos, then Portales assisted Kutt at the 2:34 mark to restore the Aggie lead to 4-1. Gaucho senior Miranda Schrader and UC Davis' Preston traded goals to keep UC Davis up by three at the break, 5-2. Kohlmoos powered her way to a goal from set at the 6:23 mark and Virgil buried a lob from three with 2:54, boosting UC Davis' lead to 7-2 in the third. A bar-in shot from Shore trimmed the deficit to 7-3 after the next restart. That margin continued into the fourth before Preston drew an ordinary foul, then delivered the free throw to Kutt for the assist with 6:54 on the clock. UCSB scored back-to-back at 4:56 and 3:45 to close the gap to three goals. On the next possession, Kutt sent a pass up to Virgil, who redirected it into the Gaucho cage for the Aggies' ninth goal. Kutt followed that with a big steal at two meters to again quell the UCSB offense. Sophomore Kate Pipkin scored on a rebound and putback in the final minute for the Gauchos, but UC Davis effectively managed the clock down the stretch to seal its win. Saturday's Big West win served as a rematch of the Aggies' 8-7 loss to UCSB at the Triton Invite almost exactly one month earlier. UC Davis returns to action for a Sunday 4 p.m. game against 20th-ranked Harvard.

No. 10t UC Santa Barbara (14-7, 0-1)	0	2	1	3	-	6
No. 14 UC Davis (12-13, 1-0)	2	3	2	2	-	9

GOALS - UCSB: Sarah Snyder 2, Taylor Shore 2, Miranda Schrader 1, Kate Pipkin 1. UC DAVIS: Annie Kutt 4, Greta Kohlmoos 2, Paige Virgil 2, Sammy Preston 1. GOALIE SAVES - UCSB: Kelsey Fennell 3 (32:00). UC DAVIS: Avery Dotterer 12 (32:00).