Ann Arbor, MI – The No. 21-ranked Wagner women's water polo team concluded the Michigan Invitational and the first weekend of the 2020 season with a 11-7 defeat to No. 9 UC Santa Barbara, followed by a 16-6 loss over No. 5 UCLA.

No. 9 UC Santa Barbara 11, No. 21 Wagner 7: (Box Score)
The Gauchos jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the opening stanza, but junior Malia Josephson would get the Seahawks on the board with 2:53 remaining on the Green & White's first powerplay opportunity. UCSB would put one more goal on the board before the end of the period, extending their lead to 3-1.

UCSB struck first in the second period before each team took a turn making a scoring run. The Seahawks found the back of the cage three straight times, with two scores from freshman standout Abbey Simshauser and Jacqui Sjogren's first goal of the game. The Gauchos responded with four straight goals to end the half, to enter the third period leading 8-4. 
 
The teams would score at an even pace throughout the second half, scoring three goals apiece. The Green & White's goals came from Skye Nankervis, Sofia Diaz Alvarez, and Pip Nash who found the back of the cage for the first time this season, before an eventual final score of 11-7 in favor of the Gauchos.

No. 5 UCLA 16, No. 21 Wagner 6: (Box Score)
The Seahawks and Bruins stayed evenly paced through the first period, scoring three goals apiece. Malia Josephson notched two goals to put the Green & White up 2-1, before Diaz Alvarez responded to a UCLA score to take a 3-2 lead with 1:13 remaining in the first period. The Bruins would tally one more score before the end of the first stanza, sending the teams to the second period tied 3-3.
 
Savannah Henshaw gave the Green & White a 4-3 lead early in the second quarter, but the Bruins would rattle off four straight scores to end the half leading 7-4. 
 
The second half would be all Bruins, as they outscored the Seahawks 9-2, before an eventual 16-6 final score. The Green & White's second half goals came from their early season offensive standouts Diaz Alvarez and Simshauser.
 
NEXT UP FOR THE SEAHAWKS:
The Seahawks will be back in action next weekend as they travel to Providence, RI to compete in the Bruno Classic. They will begin with a double header on Saturday, February 1, first taking on St. Francis U at 8:00 am, followed by No. 17 Harvard at 6:00 pm. They will conclude the weekend with a Sunday matchup host Brown at 12:40 pm.