No. 19 Matadors Fall Twice in Final Matches at UCSB Winter Invite

Santa Barbara, CA---

The No. 19 CSUN Water Polo team dropped the final two games of the UCSB Winter Invite on Saturday afternoon as CSUN fell in the opener, 12-4, to No. 12 Michigan and suffered a close 10-9 defeat to No. 21 UC San Diego in the second match of the day. Sophomore Madeleine Sanchez converted on seven goals combined in the two contests including a five-goal performance against the Tritons. Shannon Hovanesian added two goals on the day to go along with three assists while goalkeeper Niki Van Vugt amassed 15 saves in the two matches.

The Matadors fell into an early hole in their opener against the University of Michigan. Ali Thomason scored the game's first goal at the 6:02 mark of the opening period and two consecutive tallies from Allison Skaggs over the next 2:00 put Michigan in front, 3-0. Katelyn Fairchild pulled CSUN to within two goals by hitting the net with 3:52 left to go in the quarter but it would be the closest the Matadors would get in the match.

The Wolverine offense kept pushing in the second period as three-straight scores pushed Michigan in front 8-1 with just over 4:00 to go in the half. Sanchez pulled the Matadors closer with a score with 3:46 remaining but CSUN could not inch closer before halftime, trailing 8-2.

Despite recording 15 shots in the contest, the Matadors had a difficult time hitting the back of the net to cut into the lead. In the second half, the Wolverines would maintain the momentum, holding CSUN to two goals in the final two quarters. Sophomore McKenzie Pollei connected on a CSUN score to start the fourth and Taitum Herrington registered her first goal of the season with under a minute to go but the Wolverines held the Matadors scoreless the rest of the way.

CSUN: 1-1-0-2 = 4
MICH: 5-3-3-1 = 12

CSUN Scorers: Fairchild (1), Herrington (1), Pollei (1), Sanchez (1)
Michigan Scorers: Anderson (3), K. Johnson (3), D. Johnson (2), Skaggs (2), Sellers (1) and Thomason (1)

CSUN GK Saves: Van Vugt (8)
Michigan GK Saves: Campbell (7)

-------------------------------------------

In game two of the day, the Matadors rallied from a five-goal deficit but their comeback would just fall short in a 10-9 defeat. The two teams traded goals in the opening minutes of the contest as Sanchez hit the netting twice to lead CSUN. The Tritons would take the lead on a goal with less than 00:30 to play in the first and added to their lead with two-straight goals to start the second period.

Sanchez recorded a hat trick before halftime with her third goal in the second period but it would be the only tally for the Matadors in the quarter. The Tritons again ended the quarter on a strong note with a late score to lead by three at intermission. UCSD extended to a 7-3 lead with a goal in the opening minute of the third period but Sanchez and Hovanesian connected on goals to trim the deficit to 8-5 to end the period.

In the fourth, the Matadors continued their rally, pulling even with three-straight scores. Fairchild, Amy Yule and Sanchez each struck the net within a 3:00 span to nod the game at 8-8.

A comeback would not be in the cards, however, as back-to-back goals pushed the Tritons into the lead at 10-8. With a minute to play, Hovanesian connected again with her second goal of the contest but the Matadors could not hit the equalizer before the final whistle.

The Matadors return to the pool next weekend to compete in their second tournament of the season. CSUN heads to Cal Baptist to take on a pair of opponents on Saturday, Jan. 30. In the early game, the Matadors face Pomona-Pitzer at 9:15 a.m. and CSUN concludes its day with a contest against Concordia at 3:30 p.m.

CSUN: 2-1-2-4 = 9
UCSD: 3-3-2-2 = 10

CSUN Goal Scorers: Sanchez (5), Hovanesian (2), Fairchild (1), Yule (1)
UCSD Goal Scorers: Kirkland (3), Boyer (3), Wieseler (2), Kistler (1), Stender (1)

CSUN GK Saves: Van Vugt (7)
UCSD GK Saves: Unavailable

No. 19 Matadors Fall Twice in Final Matches at UCSB Winter Invite

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Katelyn Fairchild

Taitum Herrington

Shannon Hovanesian

McKenzie Pollei

Madeleine Sanchez

Niki Van Vugt

Amy Yule