The No. 7 Fresno State women’s water polo team (9-7, 3-1) lost 11-9 in overtime against the No. 13 Loyola Marymount University Lions (13-11, 3-0) at the Fresno State Aquatics Center on Saturday, March 22. A rematch of the 2024 Golden Coast Conference (GCC) championship game delivered for a rowdy crowd.

With a four-goal performance, senior utility Brooke Ochoa became the program’s all-time leading scorer. Emily Nicholson previously held the record.

“[A] Generational talent. [Ochoa] signed up to put a program on her back,” said Head Coach Natalie Benson. “I’m happy that she gets her name in the record books for a long time. I’m really proud of her.”

The Lions and Bulldogs have produced all-time games in the GCC, including two conference championship games. Their match on Saturday was no different for these bitter rivals.

What happened?

The Bulldogs opened with a sprint win, but that would be their only success for the first five minutes. They committed three turnovers on their opening possessions. While the Bulldog defense stood tall, the Lions eventually broke the ice and scored the opening goal 3:12 into the first period.

It was difficult for the Bulldogs to find open shots against an aggressive Lions team. Only four players contributed to the Bulldogs’ scoring. 

Benson was not fazed by the slow performance; in fact, she praised the effort her players showed throughout the week of practice. 

“I wish we played a little more aggressively, but I think we handled [the Lions] really well, especially in transition,” Benson said. “I was pleased with how they’ve been preparing, their attitude towards training and their work ethic.”

After key stops from goalie Ida Tully-Giles and key blocks by the Bulldog defense, attackers Abbey Simshauser and Hailey Andress gave the Bulldogs a temporary lead, but the Lions would answer late in the period to take a 3-2 lead.

Tully-Giles continued to shine, out-dueling her goalie counterpart and shutting out the Lions in the second period. Her big saves were key in keeping the Bulldogs in the game when their offense could not get much going.

“I am pleased with her commitment to doing what she’s been asked to do and rising to the challenge of these competitive opportunities,” Benson said. 

In addition to Tully-Giles’ 11 saves, the Bulldog defense blocked an extra 10 shots from the Lions. Benson was fired up after a huge block from junior defender Susanna Martinez.

“Anytime you get a shot block like that, you know it’s gonna hurt, but you stand in there anyways and you take the hit,” Benson said. “I love the grit that [Martinez] demonstrated. It was a big play when a big play was needed.”

Out of the break, the Bulldogs got the energy up. Ochoa won her second sprint and immediately cashed in with a goal to give the Bulldogs a brief 4-3 lead. The offense woke up for both teams, but it was the Lions that kept the advantage.

Ochoa and her energy had the crowd back in the game. Her third goal of the period broke the all-time scoring record for the Bulldogs.

“I didn’t realize I was close to it until [Savannah Stoeckle, assistant athletics director for strategic communications] came over and let me know,” Ochoa said. “It’s really cool and I’m glad to put it out of reach for [Andress] next year.”

After their victory against Santa Clara University, Benson was highly critical of her team’s effort. Benson praised her players on Saturday for their mindset throughout the week, highlighting leadership from her seniors.

“The senior leadership and older players really stepping up is [nice to see],” Benson said. “Maybe the moment got a little too heavy, but ​​I am very pleased with their work ethic.”

After a drawn exclusion by Andress, Ochoa scored her fourth goal of the afternoon, putting the Bulldogs ahead for a possession. A delay from the Lions caused some momentum loss for the Bulldogs. The Lions once again tied the game at 8 with just under six minutes to go.

Andress pulled the Bulldogs ahead with 2:28 to go on a penalty shot. The crowd was doing all they could to help the Bulldogs squeak out a win.

The Lions tied the game at 9 apiece with 1:01 to go. The energized crowd knew where these two GCC juggernauts were headed.

On their final possession of regulation, the Lions tried to isolate the Bulldog defense, but they came up empty. The Bulldogs got one last chance to sink their rivals in regulation.

With two seconds on the clock, Ochoa got one last shot off but it would not go. The Lions and Bulldogs were headed for overtime once again. 

This time, the Bulldogs came out on the wrong side.

Both teams traded empty possessions, but it would be the Lions with a one-goal advantage after the first three minutes. The Lions added to their advantage with 49 seconds left. The advantage and the lack of time effectively sunk the Bulldogs. The two-goal lead that the Lions secured was the largest lead either team had.

Fatigue for the Bulldogs showed. A misconduct call against Elisa Grim in the fourth period cut the lineup thin for Benson. 

“I’m sure it is, but we can’t blame it on us being fatigued,” Ochoa said. “It’s just preparation and executing the tiny things.” 

This is the Bulldogs’ first GCC home loss since 2019 when they played the then No. 20 San Diego State University Aztecs. 

What’s next?

The Bulldogs will be back in action next Saturday, March 29 against the Aztecs before returning home to face the Azusa Pacific University Cougars on Saturday, April 12 for senior day. Admission is free.