DAVIS, Calif. -- Sophomore utility
Allyson Clague scored a hat trick in the opening game while four Aggies each netted two goals in the nightcap, as No. 11(t) UC Davis split a collegiate women's water polo doubleheader with No. 9 UC Santa Barbara at Campus Pool Sunday afternoon. The Gauchos won Game 1, 12-10, in a game that counts toward the Big West Conference standings; then the Aggies prevailed by an 11-9 final in a non-conference matchup in Game 2.
UC Davis moves to 6-4 for the year and 1-1 in Big West play.
Clague scored goals in each of the first and second quarters of the noon contest, then added a 6-on-5 conversion with 1:26 remaining in the fourth quarter for her first hat trick since a January 25 game against Stanford in 2020.
Emily Aikema and
Ryan Sund each added two in that game, which saw the two teams locked in a 4-4 tie until the final minute of the first quarter. Mollie Simmons converted a power play to ignite a 5-1 Gaucho run that lasted into the early third. UCSB led 8-5 at the halftime break, and by a four-goal margin at two different points in the second half.
In the nightcap, Aikema, center
Noelle Wijnbelt, attacker
Jordan Werkmeister and utility
Tess Fundter each netted a pair of goals, with Wijnbelt adding two field blocks on defense. UC Davis scored all of its goals on even strength, including a run of six unanswered that flipped a 2-1 Gaucho lead with 5:11 left in the first into a 7-2 Aggie advantage with under three minutes to go in the third. Fundter scored two goals in that stretch, which spanned UC Davis' 5-2 halftime lead.
The Aggies claimed the Game 2 win despite facing eight player-down situations. On the other hand, they only had two power-play opportunities against the Gauchos, with only
Morgan Polterock managing a shot attempt. Fortunately, freshman goalkeeper
Nellie McAdams recorded nine saves with two assists. Clague and second-year freshman
Leslie Haynes also had two assists to bolster UC Davis offensively.
The Aggies enter a relatively short week of practice before a Big West Conference home game against Long Beach State on Friday night at 7 p.m. Both teams will also square off in non-league play the following Sunday at noon.
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ABOUT UC DAVIS:
With the addition of equestrian and women's beach volleyball in 2018, more than 700 student-athletes represent the fifth-ranked public school in the nation on one of 25 intercollegiate athletics teams.
UC Davis, a national leader in Title IX gender equity and leadership, is centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley; and offers an unrivaled student-athlete experience that features the ideal combination of elite academics, Division I athletics and personal growth.
Ranked annually in the top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility, UC Davis is uncommonly committed to preparing student-athletes for life after graduation with Aggie EVO — an innovative student-athlete outcomes program that helps young women and men develop passions, gain real-world experience, and enjoy a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school. Through Aggie EVO, Intercollegiate Athletics provides unmatched resources and a vast network of working professionals to ensure post-graduation success for its student-athletes.
