Snyder scores six as UCSB women’s water polo rolls past Titans

By ERIC BOOSE UCSB SPORTS WRITER

The No. 10 UCSB women’s water polo team (18-9, 2-4 Big West) made their first-ever visit to Cal State Fullerton (11-18, 0-6 Big West) on Saturday and cruised to victory against the Titans, 16-8. Caitlyn Snyder scored a hat-trick in the first half, then scored three more in the second half for a six-goal day. The redshirt senior added an assist to finish with a gamehigh seven points.

The Gauchos came out hot on Saturday, scoring seven of their 16 goals in the first eight minutes of the match, including a pair of scores from Emily Ferguson in the final

28 seconds of the first quarter. UCSB never trailed on the day and held an 11-4 advantage when the halftime buzzer sounded. Caitlyn Snyder ended the first half on a scoring tear, tallying three goals in the final three and a half minutes before the break.

Cal State Fullerton scored the first two goals of the second half, but UCSB responded with two more goals from Snyder, and led 13-7 heading into the fourth quarter. Snyder completed her second hat-trick of the game in the fourth quarter, and Sarah Owens put the icing on the cake with the Gauchos’ 16th goal of the day before the final buzzer sounded.

Taylor McEvilly made her first appearance in goal since March 3, splitting time in the cage with Madison Walker. Walker made three saves in her 14 minutes, and McEvilly made two in her 18 minutes. McEvilly also added an assist.

UP NEXT

The Gauchos have one match left in the 2023 regular season, as they will travel to La Jolla next weekend for a showdown with UC San Diego on April 22. The game is set to start at noon, and will be live on ESPN+, with live stats available through ucsbgauchos.com.

Eric Boose is assistant director of athletic communications at UCSB. email: sports@newspress.com