CSUN Hosts Brown, Opens Up Big West Play on the Road

NORTHRIDGE, CA---

No. 25 CSUN Water Polo (9-14) returns to the pool Tuesday afternoon for the start of a busy week of action. The Matadors host the Brown Bears at 3 p.m. before opening up conference play this weekend. CSUN kicks off its Big West schedule with two road matches, starting with No. 7 UC Irvine on Saturday followed by a Sunday meeting with No. 21 Long Beach State. Both conference games are scheduled to start at 12 p.m.

In its only contest last week, CSUN defeated No. 23 Marist, 13-12, in a back-and-forth match. The Matadors built an early lead, outscoring the Red Foxes, 4-2, in the first and maintained their momentum throughout the second quarter. Marist would rally though with a strong 6-2 third quarter to take a 10-9 lead. CSUN would not be denied, however, as the Matadors made one last push in the final minutes. Paula Abellan Garcia and Alexis Elias each tallied fourth quarter goals and Madeleine Sanchez nailed the game winner to secure the CSUN victory.

Fresh off scoring six goals against the Red Foxes, Sanchez earned Big West Conference Player of the Week last Wednesday. The sophomore attacker leads the team with 54 goals on the season and has nearly doubled her goal output from last season (28) through 23 matches. She is also first on the team in assists (33) and second in steals (41).

While Sanchez has showcased strong offensive play this season, the Matadors have received significant contributions from several members on the team. Second on the team in scoring, Amy Yule comes into the week with 35 tallies and a team-best 48.6 shooting percentage while she has registered a goal in 12 of the last 15 matches. Katelyn Fairchild is sporting a team-leading 47 steals while she has recorded 18 goals and 27 assists. Six other Matadors have posted double figure goals including McKenzie Pollei (16), Shannon Hovanesian (15), Lindsey Garcia (15), Paula Abellan Garcia (12), Miranda Coleman (11) and Emily Fuller (11).

Heading into this week's action, the Matadors have won two-straight including three of the last four matches. Contributing to the Matadors' strong play of late has been the team's increase in offensive production. Averaging 8.8 goals on the season, the Matadors are averaging 11.6 goals per game over the last five matches.

The Matadors and Bears have faced each other only once before with CSUN taking a 2012 meeting, 15-5. Against Big West foes UC Irvine and Long Beach State, the Matadors are 3-24 and 8-17 respectively. CSUN looks to snap a 12-game skid versus the Anteaters while the Matadors have won three of four against LBSU. The 49ers defeated CSUN 8-7 at the Triton Invitational in February.

In Big West Conference openers, the Matadors have posted a 6-1 record including taking two-straight road matches over the last two seasons.

The Bears are 5-13 this season and 1-3 in road matches. Last season, Brown went 20-17 and finished fifth in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Championship. Before facing CSUN, the Bears will take on Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont Mudd-Scripps on Monday.

UC Irvine heads into Saturday's match with a 13-9 overall record and 0-1 mark in conference play. The Anteaters fell to Hawai'i, 3-2, last Thursday to open up their Big West schedule and UCI defeated UC San Diego and CSU Bakersfield on Friday. The 2015 Big West Conference regular season champion finished fifth at the NCAA Tournament last season. Sophomore Mary Brooks leads the team with 39 goals while junior defender Gabby Pierandozzi is second with 19. Junior Annika Nelson and freshman Jenna Phreaner have spent significant time in net for UCI this season as Nelson (91 saves) has amassed 368 minutes while Phreaner (71 saves) has 328.

The 49ers are 12-8 on the season to go along with a 3-0 home record. LBSU posted an 8-4 victory at UC Davis to open up conference play on Saturday but the 49ers fell to California, 11-5, on Sunday, which snapped a seven-game winning steak. Last season, Long Beach State finished 16-15 and in sixth place at the Big West Conference Tournament. Virginia Smith leads the team offensively with 32 goals while sophomore Alexandra Massier and freshman Tori Morrissey have tallied 29 and 26 goals respectively. In front of the cage, senior Alexis Butler has accumulated 102 saves in 456 minutes of action.

CSUN Hosts Brown, Opens Up Big West Play on the Road

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Players Mentioned

Paula Abellan Garcia

Miranda Coleman

Alexis Elias

Katelyn Fairchild

Emily Fuller

Lindsey Garcia

Shannon Hovanesian

McKenzie Pollei

Madeleine Sanchez

Amy Yule