Score: UC Davis 10, Long Beach State 12
Location: Long Beach, Calif. (Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center)
Records: UC Davis 15-12 (5-2), Long Beach State 17-10 (6-1)
LONG BEACH, Calif. — UC Davis women's water polo concluded its postseason run with a resilient performance in the Big West semifinals, falling just short in a 12-10 thriller against No. 2 seed Long Beach State.
Chelsea Johnson fueled the Aggie offense with four goals, while goalie
Eva Stein anchored the defense with 13 saves as the team rallied from a four-goal deficit to keep the pressure on until the final whistle.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Gianna Nocetti won the opening sprint to earn UC Davis the first possession of the Big West Semifinals.
- Liberty Massman immediately netted the first goal of the game off a Madison Sparre assist to give the Aggies an early advantage.
- Long Beach State's Elisa Portillo responded with two consecutive goals to shift the momentum in favor of the Beach.
- After five minutes of defensive back-and-forth, the opening period concluded with Long Beach State holding a 2-1 edge.
- To open the second, Lillie Vehling fired home a shot to pull the match level at 2-2.
- Long Beach State answered with a goal to retake the lead.
- Ally Smith secured her first goal of the day by converting a five-meter penalty shot to tie the score once again at 3-3.
- Chiara Amoroso responded with a penalty shot of her own to put the Beach back in front.
- Long Beach State followed with a three-goal surge to extend the margin to 7-3.
- Chelsea Johnson sparked the comeback by finding the back of the net with one second remaining to send the game into halftime trailing 7-4.
- Nocetti won the sprint to start the second half, securing her second sprint win of the day.
- Long Beach State managed to find the back of the net twice early in the frame to widen the gap.
- Sparre took advantage of a power-play opportunity to score off a Vehling assist, bringing the score to 9-5.
- Long Beach State's Angeliki Arroyo responded with a goal to maintain the host's cushion.
- Johnson answered back for the Aggies off a direct assist from goalie Eva Stein.
- Johnson struck again immediately to secure her hat trick off an Ali Giusti assist, cutting the deficit to 10-7.
- Vehling provided a massive spark by firing home a clutch, long-range goal from the perimeter at the five-second mark to end the third period trailing 10-8.
- Johnson opened the fourth-quarter scoring with her fourth goal of the game on a power-play advantage to bring UC Davis within one.
- Long Beach State managed to net a response shortly after to protect a two-point lead.
- Vehling then fired home her third goal to secure a hat trick and pull the Aggies back within one with three minutes remaining.
- Stein continued to secure incredible blocks for the Aggie defense, recording her 13th save of the game on a crucial Long Beach State attempt.
- Long Beach State scored with just under two minutes left to establish the final 12-10 margin.
- The Aggies put up a relentless fight through the final whistle to finish a gritty semifinal battle against the tournament's second seed.
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/.
