LOS ANGELES, Calif. ? The 15th-ranked UC San Diego women's water polo team won two important Western Water Polo Association games on the first day of the Loyola Marymount Invitational on Friday. In the first game, UCSD trailed 5-3 at the break but put together a strong second-half to defeat Cal State Bakersfield 11-9. Natalie Hockett scored five of UCSD's goals in the morning contest. In the second game, UCSD outscored UC Santa Cruz 13-2 in the final 16 minutes of the game to cruise to the 16-6 win. Hockett continued her big day with six more goals against the Slugs. Hockett ended the afternoon with 11 goals in two games. UCSD is back in action with two more games on Saturday at the LMU Invitational.
The Tritons trailed CSUB 5-3 at halftime, before outscoring the Roadrunners 8-4 in the second half to earn the 11-9 win in an important WWPA match-up.
In the second half, the Tritons called on Hockett's number with goals at the 7:08 and 5:03 marks, tying the game at 5-5. CSUB scored with 3:23 left giving CSUB the edge. Nicole Hermann scored to re-tie the game at 6-6 with 1:47 remaining in the quarter. Miho Umezawa gave the Tritons their first lead since early in the first quarter with a score with :32 left in the quarter. UCSD led 7-6 through three.
Hockett gave the Tritons some breathing room with a goal with 6:07 left at 8-6 UCSD. CSUB would cut the Triton lead down to one goal on two more occasions, the last at the 3:00 mark. Hockett and Sydney Gstettenbauer scored at the 1:43 and 1:01 mark to ice the game for the Tritons.
In the second game, with the game tied at 4-4, UC San Diego outscored UC Santa Cruz 13-2 the final 16 minutes to earn a 16-6 win in the final game of first day of competition at the 2007 LMU Invitational on Friday. Natalie Hocket scored six goals for UCSD, giving her 11 on the day.
