HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Morgan Lewis posted a hat-trick with three goals to record Player of the Game status as No. 6-ranked/Pacific Coast Division Championship runner-up the University of California-Santa Barbara dispatched No. 7/Big Ten Division Champion the University of Michigan, 9-4, to reach the title game at the 2022 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship hosted at the Huntsville Aquatics Center.
UC-Santa Barbara – which earned a spot in the National Collegiate Club Championship after Pacific Coast Division Champion California Polytechnic State University elected not to compete at the 2022 Championship – will return to the water at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday, May 8, against the winner of a semifinal pitting No. 1/Sierra Pacific Division Champion the University of California and No. 4/Southwest Division Champion the University of California-San Diego.
The 2016 National Champion, UC-Santa Barbara will seek to add another National Championship to its legacy. Historically, the Gauchos have finished first (2016), fifth (2015) and 13th (2013) in the program’s prior appearances at the National Collegiate Club Championship.
Michigan – which previously placed second (2010, 2014, 2016), third (2007, 2011, 2015), fourth (2012, 2013) and seventh (2009) in their other trips to Nationals – will add another Top Four mark as the Wolverines will take on the fallen from the California/UC-San Diego semifinal in the Third Place game at 11:30 a.m. on May 8.
UC-Santa Barbara never trailed against Michigan as Lewis launched in a five-meter penalty with 43 seconds left in the first quarter to acquire a 1-0 lead.
The Maize & Blue pulled even at the 1:29 mark of the second quarter as Claire Tuttle (Hudsonville, Mich.) posted an equalizer, but Angeline Calzada delivered a man-up tally for the Gauchos with 10 seconds remaining until halftime to put UC-Santa Barbara in front to stay at 2-1.
The game turned decisively in UC-Santa Barbara’s favor during the third quarter as Giselle Lewis (5:19), Madelaine Donnell (4:23, man-up) and Calzada (2:19) expanded the margin to 5-1.
Rylee Brower (Naperville, Ill.) moved Michigan back to within three at 5-2 courtesy a penalty shot with 2:01 on the clock as the Wolverines trailed by three entering the fourth quarter.
UC-Santa Barbara put the contest away in the opening moments of the final seven minutes as Thea Neushul (6:46, man-up; 3:36) and Morgan Lewis (4:58, man-up; 4:09) both scored twice to give the Gauchos a 9-2 lead.
Tuttle capped off the scoring to whittle Michigan’s final margin of victory down to five as she connected on natural (2:29) and man-up (53 seconds) strikes to shrink the Wolverines’ concluding deficit to 9-4.
For Michigan, Tuttle notched a hat-trick with Brower adding a solo score. Goalie Emily Jacoby (Detroit, Mich.) made four saves.
Across the tank, Morgan Lewis (three), Neushul (two) and Calzada (two) recorded multi-goal games with Donnell and Giselle Lewis accounting for the remainder of the Gauchos’ offense. Jordan Sibley stopped 10 shots to claim the victory from between the pipes.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| No. 6 University of California-Santa Barbara |
1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | – | 9 |
| No. 7 University of Michigan | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | – | 4 |
| Michigan Goals: | Claire Tuttle (3); Rylee Brower | |||||
| UCSB Goals: | Morgan Lewis (3); Thea Neushul (2); Angeline Calzada (2); Madelaine Donnell; Giselle Lewis | |||||
| Saves: | Michigan – Emily Jacoby (4) ; UCSB – Jordan SIbley (10) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Michigan – 7 ; UCSB – 3 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Michigan – 2-for-3 ; UCSB – 5-for-7 | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Dustin Devaney; Michael Francis | |||||
University of Michigan’s Meredith Holm (#25) and University of California-Santa Barbara’s Madelaine Donnell (#13) go for the ball
University of California-Santa Barbara’s Morgan Lewis (#5) shoots as the University of Michigan’s Meredith Holm (#25) and Claire Tuttle (#9) pursue
University of California-Santa Barbara’s Madelaine Donnell (#13) attempts to block a shot by the University of Michigan’s Claire Tuttle (#9)
