DAVIS, Calif. – UC Davis women's water polo picked up a dominant 18-3 victory over Cal State Fullerton on Saturday afternoon to find its way back into the win column.
UC Davis (15-11, 3-2 Big West) opened up an early lead in the first quarter and never looked back, exploding offensively while keeping it clean on the other end to enjoy its best defensive performance of the season, holding the Titans to just three goals in the contest.
Alyssa Lengtat paced the Aggies with a season-high four goals.
Noëlle Wijnbelt posted her seventh hat trick of the year in another solid performance for the four-time All-American.
Gianna Nocetti continued her excellent form by recording her third consecutive multi-goal game, scoring twice while handing out two assists on the afternoon.
Ally Smith and
Liberty Massman each scored the first goal of their careers in a memorable game for the two freshmen.
How It Happened
Wijnbelt found the back of the cage less than 30 seconds into the game before Lengtat caught fire, scoring three straight goals for her first quarter hat trick.
Grace Pelkey and
Ashley Salem kept the momentum in the Aggies' favor with their back-to-back goals, extending the lead to 6-0 after just four minutes.
Cal State Fullerton finally found its breakthrough late in the first period, but
Sam Yoo, Wijnbelt, Lengtat, and Smith scored one goal apiece to put together another scoring run for the hosts. At the break, UC Davis held a 10-2 lead.
The rout continued in the second half when
Hailey Williams netted a quick goal in the third quarter. Wijnbelt completed her hat trick before Smith and Massman scored for the first time in their careers, making it a 15-2 advantage.
Nocetti scored a power-play goal to open the fourth-quarter scoring before
Maddie Sumner and
Tess Fundter got in on the action with goals of their own, solidifying the 18-3 win.
Up Next
The Aggies will host Senior Day on April 15 when Long Beach State makes its way to Davis. The seniors will be honored prior to the scheduled start time of 12 p.m.
