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/. 

 

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