The 16th-ranked UCSB women’s water polo team (10-3, 0-0 Big West) notched wins against Concordia University Irvine (1-3, 0-0 GCC) and No. 22 Loyola Marymount University (2-6, 0-0 GCC) at the Triton Invitational on Saturday. Nina Munson was a major contributor to the team’s success, clocking four goals for the day, while Juju Amaral followed up yesterday’s strong performance with three more total points to the fight.
Saturday’s successes bring the Gauchos’ record to 10-3 on the season, with hopes to continue the streak on the final day of the tournament. UCSB is slated to play #12 UC Davis in the tournament’s ninth-place game Sunday afternoon.
#16 UCSB 14, Concordia Irvine 3
The Gauchos showed the Golden Eagles what they were made of this morning, handing them an 11-point defeat. Keeping the defense on lock, the Gauchos only allowed three goals across four quarters. On offense, both Nina Munson and Delaney Palmer notched hat tricks to contribute to the Gaucho goal-fest.
#16 UCSB 8, #22 LMU 6
The Gauchos’ victory over the Lions was a team-wide effort. A myriad of players put points on the board and managed to keep the LMU offense at bay. The game remained tight, within a one point differential, for the majority of play. But the Gauchos found their flow and slammed home a win in the fourth quarter, notching two goals in the frame to secure the end result.
UP NEXT
The Gauchos will take on #12 UC Davis in tomorrow’s game for ninth place at the Triton Invitational. It’s all set to go down at 12:50 p.m. at the Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla.
Eric Boose writes about sports for UCSB.
sports@newspress.com
