Gm1: #12 San Jose State 18, FPU 3
Gm 2: Whittier 6, FPU 5

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – During the second day of competition at the UCSB Winter Invitational the Sunbirds began their day facing the number 12 team in the nation, San Jose State. 

The Sunbirds came out slow in the first half and allowed the Spartans to gain a 14-point advantage by halftime. Sophomore transfer, Alyssa Stevens ended the scoring drought in the third quarter followed bye Emily Marr and Kaeli Hanson each contributing a goal. As the offense increased productivity, the defense stepped up and became more aggressive in the final half allowing five goals. 

Goalie Kelsie Harvey continued to deny the opposition and had six saves in the day's first match. 

"Our game plan was to use this opportunity  to learn how to play against highly ranked teams," said head coach Bryan Suhovy. "San Jose is playing very well this weekend and it was a great game for our young players to gain experience. Each of our freshmen rotated in during the game and they did exactly what we wanted. I am proud of how hard the team has been working and rising to the challenges they are facing this weekend."
 
In the second match the Sunbirds held Whittier scoreless in the first quarter. The Sunbirds took the lead burying two goals into the back of the net during the second quarter and held the lead going into the intermission. Whittier came back and scored a pair of goals in the third quarter while the Sunbirds netted one more. The Sunbirds lost their lead during the fourth quarter the Poets tallied four goals compared to the Sunbirds two. The Poets fourth quarter push enabled them to edge out the Sunbirds by a single goal. 

Marr and freshman Kaitlin Fletcher contributed two goals a piece during the match while Candice Cobarrubias added one for the team. 

Harvey added six more saves in the second game of the day. 

"We fell short in the fourth quarter and missed a few key opportunities," said Suhovy. "This weekend was a good starting point for us to gain exposure to a higher quality of water polo and I am proud of the progress we've made this weekend. We know what we need to work on over the new couple weeks to be prepared for the Lancer Invite." 

The Sunbirds will be at home hosting an Alumni Game on February 8 at Sunnyside Aquatics Center.