The Fresno State water polo team earned its third-straight Golden Coast Conference regular season title, following a dominant 17-4 win against Santa Clara University at the Sullivan Aquatic Center.

The Bulldogs came out firing from the start, securing a 4-0 lead, with a two-goal effort from utility Jillian Schultz. Hailey Andress and Brooke Ochoa also scored one each. Shortly after Schultz’s second goal, Lauren Voss responded and scored the first goal for the Broncos. But at the end of the first quarter, the Bulldogs led 5-1. 

In the second quarter, the Bulldogs came out firing once again, with three goals total from Cynthia Rosa, Kelsey McKenney and Ella Simone. The Broncos scored their second goal by the 5:30 minute-mark in the third quarter. The Bulldogs responded with three goals in a row to give the ‘Dogs a 10-goal advantage. 

In the final period, Fresno State had a 12-3 lead. Then, ‘Dogs Ashley Williams, Megan Cranley, Aryanah Tellez, and McKenney netted the final four goals for the Bulldogs to complete the team’s second-straight undefeated season in league play.

The Bulldogs had 11 different goal-scorers in the team’s 17-4 win. In addition to a dominating offensive performance, the Bulldogs held the Broncos to only a few goals and forced them to miss 80% of their shot attempts, making 4-of-21 of their shots.

During the middle of the season, Bulldog Head Coach Natalie Benson credited Rosa, Guevremont, Isabella Sonkoly and Kaitlin Howarth for stepping up to the plate and embracing new roles that have helped the team’s success.

“We’ve got some good defense, some good minutes from a few of them,” Benson said. 

She is in her sixth season as head coach for the water polo team.  Last year, Benson was named the Golden Coast Conference Coach of the Year and was the recipient of the Sandy Nitta Distinguished Coaching National Award.

Benson will be leading her team to the GCC tournament in San Diego from April 28-30 as the top seed coming into the tournament. Benson is confident that her team can compete and win against top teams, hoping to bring a championship to Fresno State.

“They’ve seen themselves have success in winning conference championships and going into an NCAA tournament,” Benson said. “That’s a big difference.”

Last year, the Bulldogs won the GCC championship as the No. 1 seed with an 11-8 win against Loyola Marymount University. However, the team fell short in its first NCAA tournament appearance against Stanford.

The water polo team is set to face off against California Baptist on Friday, April 28, at the Aztec Aquaplex.  

For more information about the GCC championship, visit here.