Saturday, April 2
Riverside, Calif.
12:00 PM
California Baptist University
9
vs
10
University of Pacific
Photo by: Jacob Gonzalez
Nail-Biter Falls Short
4/2/2016 2:34:00 PM | Women's Water Polo
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – No. 21-ranked California Baptist University's women's water polo knew it was going to have a tough test Saturday afternoon hosting No. 12-ranked University of Pacific. It came down to the last quarter, but the nail-biter didn't end in the Lancers' favor as they dropped the game 10-9 to the Tigers.
"We played tough, but we made too many mistakes on our offensive end," Coach Jonathan Miller said. "Pacific played great defense, but we didn't play as strong with the ball as we normally do."
The Lancers drop to 18-8 overall, 3-1 in the Golden Coast Conference with their first conference defeat. The Tigers improve to 10-14 on the year and 2-0 in conference play.
It was a tightly woven match with five lead changes throughout the four periods. Pacific struck first, scoring less than 30 seconds into the contest, but the Lancers had a response about halfway through the first quarter. Hannah Evans evened the game up, 1-1, with her first of five goals on the day, whipping her shot in past the Tiger goalie.
Pacific took another one-point lead, but Jessica Castellano kept it close by scoring a last-second goal to tie the game at 2-2 heading into the second frame.
CBU got its first lead of the day with a goal less than one minute into the second quarter. Evans found the back of the cage for the go-ahead goal, but the lead unfortunately didn't last long. Pacific scored back-to-back goals to jump back in front, 4-3, until Laura Kocsis put the Lancers even once more with a skip shot past the goalie.
The Tigers managed to score a goal on exclusion, but Kocsis once again tied the game at 5-5 with just over a minute remaining before halftime. Pacific responded 20 seconds later and held CBU off for the remaining minute of the second quarter to hold a 6-5 edge halfway through the game.
CBU found itself in its biggest hole, down 7-5 early in the third, but never gave up. Evans scored two goals and saw Valerie Spezzaferri notch another to once again bring the score even at 8-8 with just about a quarter and a half left to play. Less than a minute after she tied the game up, Evans gave CBU its first lead of the day with her fifth goal.
It put the Lancers up 9-8 going into the fourth and final period. CBU knew it was a shaky lead and continued to attack, looking for some insurance. The Tigers maintained a solid defensive display, however, and shutout the Lancers in the fourth, while scoring two crucial goals to win the game, 10-9.
The Lancers will look to bounce back next weekend in Santa Clara, Calif., as they face University of Santa Clara in another GCC match. With just three conference games left on the schedule, CBU hopes to build momentum heading into the GCC Tournament hosted by San Diego State at the end of the month.
"We played tough, but we made too many mistakes on our offensive end," Coach Jonathan Miller said. "Pacific played great defense, but we didn't play as strong with the ball as we normally do."
The Lancers drop to 18-8 overall, 3-1 in the Golden Coast Conference with their first conference defeat. The Tigers improve to 10-14 on the year and 2-0 in conference play.
It was a tightly woven match with five lead changes throughout the four periods. Pacific struck first, scoring less than 30 seconds into the contest, but the Lancers had a response about halfway through the first quarter. Hannah Evans evened the game up, 1-1, with her first of five goals on the day, whipping her shot in past the Tiger goalie.
Pacific took another one-point lead, but Jessica Castellano kept it close by scoring a last-second goal to tie the game at 2-2 heading into the second frame.
CBU got its first lead of the day with a goal less than one minute into the second quarter. Evans found the back of the cage for the go-ahead goal, but the lead unfortunately didn't last long. Pacific scored back-to-back goals to jump back in front, 4-3, until Laura Kocsis put the Lancers even once more with a skip shot past the goalie.
The Tigers managed to score a goal on exclusion, but Kocsis once again tied the game at 5-5 with just over a minute remaining before halftime. Pacific responded 20 seconds later and held CBU off for the remaining minute of the second quarter to hold a 6-5 edge halfway through the game.
CBU found itself in its biggest hole, down 7-5 early in the third, but never gave up. Evans scored two goals and saw Valerie Spezzaferri notch another to once again bring the score even at 8-8 with just about a quarter and a half left to play. Less than a minute after she tied the game up, Evans gave CBU its first lead of the day with her fifth goal.
It put the Lancers up 9-8 going into the fourth and final period. CBU knew it was a shaky lead and continued to attack, looking for some insurance. The Tigers maintained a solid defensive display, however, and shutout the Lancers in the fourth, while scoring two crucial goals to win the game, 10-9.
The Lancers will look to bounce back next weekend in Santa Clara, Calif., as they face University of Santa Clara in another GCC match. With just three conference games left on the schedule, CBU hopes to build momentum heading into the GCC Tournament hosted by San Diego State at the end of the month.
Players Mentioned
2MD
/ Women's Water Polo
2M
/ Women's Water Polo
UT
/ Women's Water Polo
DR
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