April 29, 2006
La Jolla, Calif. - The No. 16 Santa Clara women's water polo team knew that coming into the Western Water Polo Association Championships, the only way to qualify for the eight-team NCAA Tournament would be to win the three-day event. Today's semifinal match that pitted third-seeded Santa Clara against second-seeded UC Davis showcased excellent defensive abilities on both ends of the pool, but the Broncos were unable to overcome a 3-0 halftime deficit on the way to a tough 6-3 defeat.
Santa Clara falls to 24-8 on the year and returns to the pool tomorrow afternoon to battle host UC San Diego for third place in the WWPA. Game time is slated for 1:45 p.m.
"It's a tough loss. We knew we had to win our conference to keep our season going. We played a really good defensive game all four quarters, but had a little trouble getting our offense working today," stated head coach Keith Wilbur. "It's disappointing, but the team is determined to finish the season out with a good game tomorrow."
Three different players scored for the Broncos, as Lindsey Bacolini, Claire Linney, and Christie Miller each found the back of the net once. Linney also drew two kickouts, while Miller drew one. In the cage, goalkeeper Kristin Barnes played a marvelous match, notching eight blocks against the nation's 14th-best team.
