Scores (Game 1): UC Davis 6, Long Beach State 15
Scores (Game 2): UC Davis 9, Fresno State 13
Location: Berkeley, Calif. (Spieker Aquatics Complex)
Records: UC Davis 3-3
BERKELEY, Calif. — 22 total saves from goalkeeper
Eva Stein led the way for UC Davis women's water polo, who dropped the last two games of the Brigitte Donner Daws Memorial Invitational against Long Beach State and Fresno State.
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 1)
- Chelsea Johnson opened the scoring early with two goals, including one on a powerplay, sandwiching a goal from Ashley Wallin to give UC Davis a quick 3-0 run.
- The Beach responded with a goal to cut the lead to 3-1 after the first quarter.
- In the second, a pair of Long Beach goals tied the game 3-3, before Liberty Massman scored off an assist from Margo Tempel to give the Aggies a brief advantage.
- Long Beach countered with two goals to take a 5-4 lead, but Tempel found the back of the net on a pass from Lillie Vehling to tie it again.
- The Beach closed out the half with two more goals to go up 7-5.
- UC Davis stayed within striking distance in the third quarter as Bridget Miller scored to make it 7-6, where goalie Stein recorded her 16th save of the match to keep the Aggies close.
- But Long Beach State pulled away in the final two quarters, scoring eight unanswered goals to secure a 15-6 win.
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 2)
- Coming out the gate, Miller got her first of the match to give the Aggies an early 1-0 lead, but Fresno State responded with two quick goals to take a 2-1 advantage.
- Ally Smith converted a power-play goal to close the first quarter at 3-2.
- In the second, UC Davis and the Bulldogs each scored two goals, one from Alison Giusti and another from Vehling on a five-meter penalty shot to keep the Aggies close, 5-4.
- Stein added four saves in the period to help UC Davis maintain a 5-4 deficit at the half.
- Gianna Nocetti opened the third with a power-play goal to tie the score 5-5, but Fresno State then shot five unanswered goals, separated by a six-on-five powerplay goal from Tempel assisted by Giusti, to make it 10-6.
- Miller added her second goal of the day with an assist from Nocetti early in the fourth, followed immediately by another goal from Nocetti, bringing UC Davis within two at 8-10.
- Fresno State's Caitlyn Mossman extended the lead to three, but Giusti answered, converting a powerplay assisted by Vehling to cut the score to 9-11 with three minutes remaining.
- However, the Bulldogs added two late goals to close out the game, with UC Davis falling 13-9 despite a strong continuous effort.
UP NEXT: The Aggies will hit the road next weekend for the Triton Invitational in La Jolla, Calif., running Friday, Jan. 30, through Sunday, Feb. 1.
ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS:
UC Davis, the No. 2 ranked public university by the Wall Street Journal, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked No. 1 in Agriculture and Forestry as well as No. 1 in Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27.
For more information, visit https://ucdavisaggies.com/.
