After the Laxcats took a 4-3 lead into halftime and scored four goals in the fourth period Sunday, it would seem like the UA was well on its way to a upset over No. 2 Santa Barbara.
Unfortunately for Arizona, there was a third quarter in between.
A late charge fell short for the Laxcats, who were unable to overcome a seven-goal third period by the Gauchos in a 9-8 loss at Murphy Stadium.
With just under four minutes to go, sophomore attackman Adam Paris scored his fourth goal for Arizona, which entered the final period facing a 9-4 deficit.
Santa Barbara dominated possession for the next three minutes, finally giving up a goal by freshman attackman Christian Burrows with 42 seconds left on the clock.
The Laxcats knocked the ball loose from the Gauchos in the ensuing possession, but were still maneuvering for a shot when the final horn sounded.
"We never gave up, even when we went down in the third quarter," said Arizona head coach Kenny Broschart.
Arizona took a 4-2 lead with a 1:30 left in the first half on a goal by Burrows. But only seconds later, Santa Barbara attackman Steve Christensen flipped in a goal to whittle the Laxcats' halftime lead to one.
The Gauchos scored six more unanswered goals over the next fourteen minutes, including three on consecutive possessions.
"They had a high-powered offense," said Broschart. "We just kind of fell apart."
Christensen led Santa Barbara (7-0) with three goals, while fellow attackman Luke Wilson chipped in two goals and two assists.
Paris and Burrows were among the bright spots for Arizona (4-2), scoring five and three points, respectively.
"We played hard, except for parts of the third quarter," said senior midfielder Jeems Lochridge. "Going into halftime, we were leading, playing our game. But then when we got out of our game, things started to fall apart."
The team will now embark on a month-long road trip. Stops include a two-game set against Michigan and Michigan State next week, as well as matches against Chapman and Loyola Marymount on March 27th and March 28th.
"We're a pretty good team about putting games in the past," said Lochridge. "We just need to remember the feeling that we had losing by one goal and being up most of the game."