FRESNO, Calif. - The No. 9 Fresno State water polo team closed out its opening weekend with a 14-9 victory over No. 12 UC San Diego in the final game of the Polopalooza, Sunday afternoon at the Aquatics Center. The Bulldogs went 2-1 in their home-hosted tournament.
The Bulldogs were led in scoring by veterans Hailey Andress and Abbey Simshauser with four goals apiece. Brooke Ochoa paced the 'Dogs in points with six behind three goals and three assists. Sidney Strickland scored two goals and Ashley Williams added one.
Islay Martin-Hill got the start again in the cage, finishing the game with 10 saves.
How it happened
The teams were tied 3-3 through the first quarter. Ochoa opened up scoring early, but UCSD responded with two in-a-row to take the lead. Andress took advantage of the powerplay chance to tie things up at two, just two minutes into the game. In the final five minutes, the teams traded goals with Simshauser knotting things up at three on another powerplay opportunity.
Fresno State shifted momentum in the second quarter as UCSD scored the opening goal but was held to only that one in the quarter. Fresno State would see four goals in the quarter, with three coming by 6-on-5 advantages, to extend the lead to 7-4 at halftime.
UC San Diego took advantage of an early exclusion by the Bulldogs, but Strickland and Simshuaser responded to give Fresno State back some insurance buffers midway through the third quarter. The Tritons then would score two more, but Simshauser found the back of the net on a penalty and Ochoa scored on the counterattack with just over two minutes remaining. Martin-Hill ended the third quarter with a big save as the Bulldogs held on to a commanding 11-7 lead at the end of the quarter.
After winning the final sprint, Fresno State was unable to capitalize on the offensive end and the Tritons did on theirs to score their first goal in nearly five minutes of game time. Marit van der Kolk hit Andress for another score with six minutes left in the game. After an offensive foul on the Bulldogs, UCSD cashed it in for the goal to pull within three with four minutes left. The Bulldogs scored back-to-back with Ochoa kicking things off on a 6-on-5 advantage, and Andress scoring another on the assist from Ochoa. The teams traded possessions to close out the game with the Bulldogs ahead 14-9.
Notable
Fresno State was 6-of-10 in its powerplay opportunities while UCSD was just 2-of-6
Freshman Marit van der Kolk won all three sprints she took for the 'Dogs
Fresno State played true freshmen Alexandra Schow and Marley Garwick on Sunday, their first appearances in their career.
Islay Martin-Hill had her second career start on Sunday, and finished with a career-high 10 saves.
Hailey Andress (11) and Abbey Simshauser (10) finished second and third in scoring in the field of players in the Polopalooza weekend.
Up Next
Fresno State travels north for the Cal Cup next Saturday and Sunday. The Bulldogs will face Long Beach State, Cal and UCLA. The 'Dogs will also face USA Academy in an exhibition on Sunday afternoon.