April 6, 2013
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Sixth-ranked San Diego State could not tighten its grip on first place in the Big West as it was upset on the road by No. 16 UC Santa Barbara, 8-5, Saturday afternoon. With the loss, the Aztecs fall to 20-9 overall and 4-2 in league action, which puts them a half game back of Hawai'i.
SDSU allowed UCSB (19-10; 2-2 Big West) to score first and tried to play catch-up the rest of the way. After one quarter, despite the early deficit, San Diego State only trailed, 3-2. But by the time halftime rolled around, the Aztecs were looking at a 5-3 disadvantage on the scoreboard with 16 minutes left in the contest.
The Gauchos continued to put crooked numbers on the board, this time scoring three times in the third frame. The Scarlet and Black, meanwhile, could not make up ground, finding the back of the net just once and ultimately trailed, 8-4, heading into the final period.
In the aforementioned final stanza, San Diego State was finally able to keep UCSB from scoring, but tallied just one goal of its own as the upset and three-goal defeat became official.
Alex Ford and Taelor Moreno led the Aztecs as they scored two goals apiece. The Big West Player of the Week, Amber Pezzolla, notched one goal to bring her team-high total to 63. For UCSB, it was led by Kacey Creek and Samantha Murphy's three goals. Shelby Haroldson and Bryn Hudson, meanwhile, added one goal each for the Gauchos.
San Diego State looks to close out the Big West portion of its schedule on a positive note on Saturday, April 13, when Pacific visits Aztec Aquaplex. First sprint is set for noon PT and admission is free.
No. 16 UC Santa Barbara 8, No. 6 San Diego State 5
SDSU 2-1-1-1--5
UCSB 3-2-3-0--8
SDSU goals: Ford 2, Moreno 2, Pezzolla 1
UCSB goals: Creek 3, Murphy 3, Haroldson, Hudson