The Fresno State women’s water polo team (6-5) picked up a pair of victories in the Bulldog Mini tournament on Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Fresno State Aquatics Center. The victories mark the end of the non-conference schedule for the Bulldogs.
“Thought we were just able to set the tone with our defense that fed our counter-attack,” said Head Coach Natalie Benson. “[We] only had a couple possessions that I was unhappy with. I think that they did a good job of being pretty thorough, looking for each other, setting them, setting the pace, and letting our defense be our offense.”
The second match of the afternoon for the Bulldogs was an exhibition match that was more focused on the little things for the Bulldogs.
“We were trying to get everyone involved and we were running a lot of our plays that we were working on,” said freshman utility Alexandra Schow. “We were doing picks and all of those things to practice so when we play other games, we’re able to execute them.”
What happened in game one?
Game one against Fresno Pacific University saw the Bulldogs get contributions from 13 different scorers in a commanding 23-6 victory. Senior utility Brooke Ochoa led the way with five goals and three steals against the Sunbirds.
“It’s amazing. I love that we’re getting everyone on the board and scoring. Coach has been talking about all year of going six-for-six and being able to do that is really fun,” Ochoa said.
The Sunbirds were outmatched by the Bulldogs, who took the lead just 18 seconds into the first quarter and never surrendered. Suffocating defense allowed for the Bulldog goalkeepers to face 11 shots.
“I think coach’s speech at the beginning of today was just being intentional of everything we’re doing and focusing and really practicing the little things that we really need to emphasize and work on during maybe tougher matchups,” Ochoa said.
Schow gave Fresno State two goals and two steals en route to her most complete game as a Bulldog. Fresno State had six other players with multi-goal games.
Goalkeepers used stretch passes, which allowed the Bulldog offense to keep the tempo high on the Sunbirds. Ochoa scored three of her five goals on stretch passes. Benson likes the offensive mind of her goalkeepers; however, their consistency in saving shots is something that needs to be tightened up before Golden Coast Conference play begins.
“Our defense obviously helps our goalkeepers be more successful in that it feeds our offensive advantages,” Benson said. “We’ve had some different priorities this year, just trying to kind of get better at different phases of the game. And so now is the time for us to put that work in.”
The 23 goals scored by the Bulldogs mark their highest total against an opponent this season.
“We’re not a team that’s only looking for Haley [Andress] or only looking for our centers, only looking for [Ochoa], we’re only looking for Abby [Simshausser]. You know, we’re looking for everybody. If you’re in position to be successful, we want you to finish,” Benson said.
What happened in game two?
Game two against the University of Redlands Bulldogs was an exhibition match for Fresno State. Fresno State defeated the University of Redlands 19-1, in their final game before starting conference play.
Schow opened the scoring for Fresno State 52 seconds into the game. They would add five more in the first quarter, where sophomore defender Sidney Strickland potted two goals. Fresno State continued its domination against the University of Redlands for the rest of the game.
The University of Redlands was able to out-shoot Fresno State 28-24, but only 14 of those shots were on goal. Goalkeepers Abigayle Armstrong, Ida Tully-Giles and Islay Martin-Hill combined for 13 saves.
In a game where Fresno State did not use any regular starters, there is still plenty to take away for the starters.
“It gives us an opportunity to be on the bench and learn. Even within those games, there [are] still chances to get some new information, learn some new things,” Ochoa said.
What’s next for the Bulldogs?
The Bulldogs open up GCC play against the Concordia University Golden Eagles next Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Fresno State Aquatics Center at noon. Admission is free.