The march for history has begun.
The No. 2 seed Fresno State women’s water polo team defeated the No. 7 seed Concordia University Irvine Golden Eagles 21-7 in the first round of the Golden Coast Conference (GCC) tournament on Friday, April 25, at the Burns Aquatic Center.
The win for the Bulldogs moves them into the semifinals of the GCC tournament for the fifth consecutive year.
“We have sh*t to do,” said Head Coach Natalie Benson. “This is one, we have two more.”
Twelve different Bulldogs contributed to the team’s 21 goals, their second-highest mark in conference this season. Senior attacker Abbey Simshauser led the Bulldogs with four goals. Senior utility Brooke Ochoa and Freshman utility Alexandra Schow each scored three in the game.
The ‘Dogs fed off the energy from the crowd. The Red Wave, per usual, was out in droves to support the Bulldogs.
Each player for the ‘Dogs saw time in the water, which helps the team manage minutes in a tournament that sees the Bulldogs play three games in 48 hours.
“We’ve only had single games per week,” Benson said. “Who knows, we might need them to make some plays later on in the tournament.”
What Happened?
A rare sprint loss for the Bulldogs started the first round match, and it took both teams 2:16 to settle in, when Simshauser potted the first goal of the tournament for the ‘Dogs.
The Golden Eagles stayed on the heels of the Bulldogs by drawing four exclusions, as well off the Bulldogs’ inability to draw a kick-out in the first period.
It might have been a slow start, but the Bulldog seniors calmed the tides. They have been here three other times and know what it takes to win.
The tides turned when Ochoa set up sophomore center Caitlyn Mossman, and then scored one for herself. She received a stretch pass from goalie Ida Tully-Giles and scored a no-look goal to give the Bulldogs a 4-2 lead with 33 seconds to go in the first period.
“It was nice to get punched in the mouth a little bit and have to come back to who we are and remind ourselves what helps us be successful,” Benson said.
The ‘Dogs smelled blood in the water.
Freshman center Marit van der Kolk restored order for the Bulldogs by winning the sprint to start the second period, and the Bulldogs started flying. A season-high nine-goal period for the Bulldogs put them up by 10 at the end of the first half.
The nine-goal outburst is the most the Bulldogs have scored in one quarter of conference play all year. Each goal deafened the Golden Eagles communication which caused them to use two timeouts in the second period.
Giles came up with three big saves in the second period to keep the Bulldogs’ momentum. Her stretch passes were key for the offense as she recorded another assist in the second period.
One deep pass fed Kira Anderson, who found junior defender Susanna Martinez open down low for the Bulldogs’ fourth goal of the period.
On a six-on-five advantage for the Golden Eagles, Ochoa turned her defense into offense. She tipped an errant pass to herself and sprinted the length of the pool for a goal that gave the Bulldogs an 8-3 advantage at the time.
“I said, ‘Hey, guys, don’t ever forget who you are. What got us here, and what will help us be successful in the long term,’” Benson said. “When we play like that, we’re pretty hard to beat.”
The second half saw the Bulldogs pull the starters and use their depth. In a grueling tournament, the depth might just be what saves the Bulldogs.
Sophomore goalie Islay Martin-Hill added to the Bulldog save tally with two knockdowns and kept the Golden Eagles off the score sheet in the third period.
Sleek passing from Schow and senior attacker Elisa Grim put the Golden Eagles in a blender, leading to sophomore attacker Kira Anderson scoring her second of the game.
Schow recorded her first hat-trick as a Bulldog in the fourth period, which solidified the Bulldogs’ return to the GCC semifinals for the fifth consecutive year, and sixth year all-time. It sets up a rematch with the University of the Pacific Tigers, whom the ‘Dogs defeated in the regular season finale just a week ago.
“I think we learned some things, and we’re able to make some nice adjustments to prepare for them,” Benson said. “They have some more orthodox defensive sets, and they have a couple of kids that shoot the ball really well.”
What’s Next?
The Bulldogs move on to the GCC semi-finals and will play the No. 3 seed Tigers on Saturday, April 26, at the Burns Aquatic Center at 2 p.m.
