March 25, 2005

DAVIS, Calif. - Christi Raycraft connected for a goal with 51 seconds remaining in the first sudden-death overtime to lift UC Davis to an 8-7 win over eighth-ranked UC Santa Barbara in a women's collegiate water polo game at Schaal Aquatics Center Friday.

The winning goal came on the sixth overall possession of that seventh period, and the third shot by Raycraft in a span of 90 seconds. She had missed on two previous trips down the tank, but managed to place her third effort just off the fingertips of the Gaucho goalie.

Raycraft, Jessica Soza and Cassie Schaefer each scored two goals to lead the Aggies. Alaina Whitaker and Dana Saign both scored a pair for UCSB.

The Aggies opened with a 3-1 lead, thanks to a goal and assist by Raycraft. However, UCSB scored the next five goals of the game, first getting a back-handed goal by Sarah Kovach to end the opening period. Dana Saign tied the game at 3-3 when her 7-meter heave connected with the Aggie cage as her team's shot clock expired. A 6-on-5 goal from Lindsay Llewellyn later gave the Gauchos a 4-3 lead at the break.

Whitaker extended the lead with two goals in the third, putting UCSB in a 6-3 lead to enter the fourth quarter. However, the Aggies scraped back into the game to force the overtime. Soza's outside shot ended the long scoring drought, then Jessi Lafayette's 6-on-5 score cut the margin to a single goal with 4:28 left in regulation. Raycraft then assited Schaefer on the game-tying score two minutes later. In the final seconds of the fourth, Jennifer D'Anna intercepted a cross pass to end the Aggies' final effort to take the win before extra frames.

Saign hit the upper right corner from the four position to put the Gauchos up, 7-6, with 38 ticks left in the first overtime. But UC Davis tied the game for the third time when Soza converted yet another 6-on-5 opportunity. The Aggies had a chance to score again before sudden-death took effect when Ashley Greenwood drew an ejection of UCSB sophomore Aimee Stachowski. However, UC Davis was unable to fire a final shot, sending the game to the third overtime period and setting the stage for Raycraft's heroics.

Lina Moore had nine saves in net for the Aggies. Her counterpart, Christy Medigovich, recorded eight saves in the Gaucho cage.

UCSB completes its road trip on Saturday with a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation match at San Jose State.

Team                 1   2   3   4   OT   OT   OT   Total
UC Santa Barbara     2   2   2   0   1    0    0     7
UC Davis             3   0   0   3   0    1    1     8
Goals
UCSB: Dana Saign - 2, Katy Kunkel, Sarah Kovach

Nicola Bishop, Alaina Whitaker, Lindsay Llewellyn

UC Davis: Raycraft - 2, Soza - 2, Schaeffer - 2, 

Lafayette, Rees
Goalkeeper Saves
UCSB: Christy Medigovich - 9

UC Davis: Moore - 8