Score: UC Davis 7, Pacific 8
Location: Stockton, Calif. (Chris Kjeldsen Pool at Eberhardt Aquatics Center)
Records: UC Davis 9-11 (2-1), Pacific 8-6 (1-1)
STOCKTON, Calif. — Despite a hat trick from
Chelsea Johnson and a late fourth-quarter surge, the No. 14 UC Davis women's water polo team fell narrowly to No. 25 Pacific, 8-7, on Saturday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Gianna Nocetti set the tone early by winning the opening sprint, but a defensive battle ensued as goalkeeper Eva Stein anchored the Aggie defense with three big saves in the first frame.
- Pacific broke the stalemate with a goal at the one-minute mark and added another with just two seconds left in the period to take a 2-0 lead into the first break.
- Nocetti secured the second-quarter sprint, igniting the Aggie offense as Ali Giusti found the back of the net for the team's first goal of the day.
- Following a Pacific exclusion, Chelsea Johnson buried a penalty shot to tie the game at 2-2.
- After the Tigers regained the lead, Margo Tempel responded with a power-play strike of her own with under a minute left in the half to send the teams into the break deadlocked at 3-3.
- Stein anchored the defense in the third quarter with a clutch block on a five-meter penalty shot, adding to have her at 6 saves on the day and thus keeping the Aggies within striking distance heading into the final frame trailing 6-3.
- The fourth quarter saw a determined comeback push where Nocetti won her third sprint of the night, leading to Johnson's second goal of the game.
- After a Tiger response, Johnson found the net once again to complete her hat trick and cut the lead to 7-5.
- With the pressure mounting, Ally Smith took over late in the frame by scoring her first goal and immediately firing home her second of the night to bring the Aggies within one at 8-7.
- UC Davis continued to press in the final seconds, but the buzzer sounded as the Aggies were in the middle of their final scoring attempt, sealing the 8-7 result for Pacific.
UP NEXT: The Aggies return home to the Schaal Aquatics Center for their next Big West Conference matchup, hosting Hawaii on Friday, Mar. 13, at 6:00 p.m. PT.
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/.
