Fresno State drops final two games of UCSB Invitational

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Fresno State continued its inaugural weekend on Sunday with matchups against Team China at 10:20 a.m. and host UCSB at 2:30 p.m. While the Bulldogs came away with a pair of losses on Day 2, they showed grit and will take plenty of experience with them back to The Valley as their season is just beginning.

"This group grew a tremendous amount in our first weekend of play, and now have a better understanding of the pace of play at the collegiate level," head coach Natalie Benson said. "We're proud of their effort, and look forward to watching them grow throughout the season."

GAME 1 – vs. Team China
The Bulldogs began their day with a morning matchup against the Chinese National Team.

The 'Dogs started out slow against China as they were down 3-0 at the 4:41 mark of the opening period. Fresno State would respond with two goals by Megan Greenwood and Jillian Wulf to cut the deficit to 3-2. China scored with only two seconds left on the clock to take a 4-2 lead into the second.

China struck first in the second period before the Bulldogs scored two straight thanks to a pair of Sydney Coachman goals. Fresno State trailed just 5-4 at the half.

China took control in the second half as the 'Dogs were outscored 6-1 in the final two periods and eventually fell 13-6 to the Chinese National Team.

Game 2 – vs. No. 19 UC Santa Barbara
Fresno State was back in the pool in the afternoon to take on host UC Santa Barbara.

The Gauchos jumped out to a 1-0 lead but Maddie Loggins would score on a breakaway to even the game up at 1-1 midway through the first period. UCSB scored two in a row before Trystyn Vuori converted on a beautiful lob shot from the perimeter to make it a 3-2 game. UC Santa Barbara added one more goal at the end of the quarter to take a 4-2 advantage.

UCSB scored four straight to open up the second period. Emily Nicholson then blasted one into the cage from the inside with just over three minutes left to cut the Gaucho lead to 8-3 heading into the break.

The Bulldogs started to make it interesting in the third as Nicholson and Vuori both scored to make it an 8-5 game. UC Santa Barbara scored the final two goals of the period to take a 10-5 lead into the fourth quarter.

Each team scored twice in the final period as UCSB came away with a 12-7 win over Fresno State.

Game 1:
Fresno State – 2, 2, 1, 1, | 6
China – 4, 1, 4, 4 | 13

Bulldog Goals: Coachman 2, Greenwood, Vuori, Wulf, Magno

Game 2:
Fresno State – 2, 1, 2, 2 | 7
UC Santa Barbara – 4, 4, 2, 2 | 12

Bulldog Goals: Nicholson 2, Vuori 2, Loggins, Magno, Schade

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Fresno State drops final two games of UCSB Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Sydney Coachman

Megan Greenwood

Maddie Loggins

Emily Nicholson

Trystyn Vuori

Jillian Wulf

Fresno State Athletics