SANTA BARBARA, Calif.—CSU Bakersfield lost a pair of matches to nationally ranked opponents Sunday at the UC Santa Barbara Winter Invite.

No. 21 UC San Diego (3-1) defeated the Roadrunners 8-7 in the opener. The Tritons led 4-0 upon the conclusion of the first period. CSUB battled back, shutting out UCSD in the second. The 'Runners would tie the score at five after three, but the Tritons outscored the Roadrunners 3-2 in the fourth to earn the victory.

Kristen Jensen scored two goals and drew three exclusions for the 'Runners. Jada Helberg scored twice while Nicola Barrett posted two assists. CSUB goalie Courtney Wahlstrom made 16 saves.

“I'm proud of the way we came back from being down 4-0,” said CSUB head coach Jason Gall. “It shows a lot of heart from this team. We made some critical mistakes at some critical times and UCSD took advantage. We are learning and improving.”

No. 7 Hawai'i (5-1) defeated CSUB 12-3 in the final match of the tournament. Barrett, Sonia Stewart, and Ashley Paz scored the Roadrunner goals. Wahlstrom made 10 saves.

“UH will probably be ranked fourth in the next national poll,” Gall said. “For us to play two top-5 teams this weekend is great experience for us early on. These games will pay off for us down the road. Courtney was fantastic all weekend. She gave us a chance in every game. Jada really stepped up this weekend and had some big time goals.”

The Roadrunners drop to 2-6 on the year with five of the losses to nationally ranked opponents. CSUB is at the Cal Baptist mini next Saturday when the Roadrunners face California Baptist at 11:45 a.m. and Azusa Pacific at 4:45 p.m.

~www.GoRunners.com~

MATCH 1

UC San Diego     4 0 1 3                   8

CSUB                0 3 2 2                   7

UCSD Goals-Kistler 2, Wiesgler 2, Fedler 2, Sasson 1, Kirkland 1

CSUB Goals-Jensen 2, Helberg 2, Paz 1, Aldridge 1, De Leon 1

CSUB Saves-Wahlstrom 12

UCSD Saves-Miller 7

MATCH 2

Hawai'i                 3 3 2 4                   12

CSUB                  1 0 0 2                   3

Hawai'i Goals-Barton 4, Kotylak 2, Gonzalez 2, Plescia 1, Bell 1, Thomson 1, Aan 1,

CSUB Goals-Paz 1, Barrett 1, Stewart 1

Hawai'i Saves-Logan 5

CSUB Saves-Wahlstrom 10