CSUN Turns up the Defense in 10-6 Victory Over Brown

NORTHRIDGE, CA---

CSUN Water Polo (10-14) earned its third-straight victory with a 10-6 triumph over Brown University on Tuesday afternoon at Matador Pool. Sophomore attacker Madeleine Sanchez posted four tallies in the match to lead CSUN and Amy Yule had two. CSUN erased an early deficit and went on to outscore the Bears 8-2 over the last three periods to secure the win.

The Matadors fell behind in the early going of the match as Brown took an early 2-0 advantage. Jessica Heilman put the Bears ahead with a shot 1:34 into the match and Marisa Kolokotronis registered the team's second goal following a Matadors ejection.

CSUN answered right back with two tallies of its own to even the game up. Capitalizing off of two ejections on two separate possessions, Miranda Coleman and Sanchez each recorded tallies. The Bears though owned the final minutes of the period. Olivia Santiago and Carmen Rosas each got into the scoring column, giving Brown a 4-2 lead after one quarter.

The Matadors came out quickly in the second with scores from Yule and Sanchez to even the contest at the 6:58 mark. Following the tough start in the first, CSUN turned up the defense as sophomore goalkeeper Niki Van Vugt made key stops in the period to keep Brown off the scoreboard. The Matadors would hold the Bears scoreless for the entire period while Sanchez gave CSUN its first lead with a bouncing shot near halftime.

In the third quarter, CSUN maintained its hot shooting and stingy defense. After patiently working the ball around the horn, McKenzie Pollei fired a shot past the goalie to make it 6-4. Paula Abellan Garcia kept the run going with a score in front of the net and Sanchez recorded her fourth goal of the day following a Bears turnover. On the defensive end, CSUN extended the Bears scoring drought to 14:00 in the period until Emma Dodd found the netting with 1:28 left.

Brown was unable to makeup any ground in the fourth though as the Matadors limited the Bears to just one goal the rest of the way. Both Alexis Elias and Yule each tallied insurance goals in the opening minute of the period while CSUN managed the clock effectively down the stretch.

With her four goals on Tuesday, Sanchez moved her season total to 58 on the year. Sanchez has also scored in each of the last seven matches including netting 22 over that span.

Van Vugt collected six saves in the contest while also notching two assists and a steal.

The Matadors begin conference play on Saturday afternoon at UC Irvine with a start time slated for 12 p.m.

Brown: 4-0-1-1 = 6
CSUN: 2-3-3-2 = 10

Brown Goal Scorers: Santiago 2, Dodd, Rosas, Kolokotronis, Heilman
CSUN Goal Scorers: Sanchez 4, Yule 2, Abellan Garcia, Coleman, Elias, Pollei

CSUN GK Saves: Van Vugt 6

CSUN Turns up the Defense in 10-6 Victory Over Brown

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Players Mentioned

Paula Abellan Garcia

Miranda Coleman

Alexis Elias

McKenzie Pollei

Madeleine Sanchez

Niki Van Vugt

Amy Yule