SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - No. 9 Hawai`i dropped its opening match today to No. 1 UCLA, 6-5, but then rallied to take the nightcap, 9-6, over Loyola Marymount at the UC Santa Barbara Gaucho Invitational.

Hawai`i (5-6) got a four-goal performance from Beth Novick to defeat LMU in the final match of the evening for UH.

UH trailed 2-0 after one and 5-2 at the half before mounting a tremendous rally.

Iefke Van Belkum scored her second goal of the match in the third to cut the deficit to 5-3, and then in the fourth quarter the Rainbow Wahine scored six times, three coming from Novick, to pick up the victory.

UH goalie Jamie Wendell picked up six saves. Novick scored four times for UH followed by a three-goal performance by Van Belkum. Amy Logan and Monika Krunszona scored one goal each.

Earlier in the day UCLA (12-0) won its third straight match in the tournament, knocking off Hawai`i, 6-5, as UH dropped its first match in the invitational.

The match teetered throughout the first three quarters ending tied at two at the end of one, even at three at the half, and knotted at five following three quarters.

The Rainbow Wahine took a 1-0 lead in the first on a goal by Kruszona at the 5:44 mark. Following a Bruin goal to tie the score, UH went up 2-1 on goal by Van Belkum at 4:12 in the first. UCLA tied it up just before the end of the first.

UH made it 3-2 in the second when Van Belkum added her second goal of the half, and it held up until UCLA scored late in the period.

UCLA would then pick up two quick goals in the third to take a 5-3 lead. But UH responded with two quick goals of their own within the final two minutes of the third by Stephanie Pottenger and Van Belkum.

UCLA's Brittany Rowe scored with 1:49 remaining in the fourth quarter to propel the Bruins past UH.

UH goalie Meike De Nooy posted seven saves in the match.