No. 21 CSUN Posts Two Victories to Open 2018 Season

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.---No. 21 CSUN Water Polo opened up the 2018 season with a pair of victories at the UC Santa Barbara Winter Invite on Friday. The Matadors' 2-0 start is the first for the program since 2010. The Matadors came from behind to defeat Azusa Pacific, 7-6, to kick off the day and led wire-to-wire in a 9-7 victory over No. 25 Cal Baptist. The Matadors were led offensively in both matches by their senior class as Katelyn Fairchild hit the net four times while Madeleine Sanchez, Amy Yule and Shannon Hovanesian all scored three goals. After freshman Emma Pfister earned her first career win in the opener, senior Niki Van Vugt tied a career-high with 14 saves to lead CSUN over Cal Baptist.

Sanchez's three goals on the day moved her into sole possession of fifth place in the Matadors' career scoring list with 178 goals.

Game One Recap:

Fairchild's late goals lifted the Matadors past Azusa Pacific in a seesaw affair to open the season. Making her first career appearance, Pfister racked up 11 saves to help anchor the Matador defensive attack. CSUN erased a fourth-quarter deficit after two late scores from Fairchild as the Matadors earned their first season-opening win since 2014.

In the first quarter, both teams were unable to get going offensively throughout a low-scoring eight minutes. CSUN was whistled for two early ejections but the score remained scoreless until the final two minutes of the period. The Cougars finally took advantage of a power play chance at the 1:48 mark after Britt Harris found the net. The Matadors responded in the second quarter with back-to-back goals from Hovanesian to take a 2-1 lead. After the Cougars took the lead off a 6-on-5 advantage, Fairchild gave the Matadors the lead at the 2:52 mark of the first half.

CSUN built its biggest lead of the match on Fairchild's second goal of the match in the second minute of the third quarter. The Cougars quickly responded with a strike from Harris 17 seconds later to even the match. The Matadors went cold from the field for the final six minutes, allowing Azusa Pacific to go in front 5-4 off consecutive goals from Hannah Bradley.

Yule ended the drought at the 7:00 mark of the fourth quarter, but Bradley gave her team the lead at 6-5 just 23 seconds later. CSUN's defense would be the story down the stretch, holding the Courgars without a goal for the final 6:37 including withstanding a power play later in the period. Fairchild evened the match once more at the 5:44 mark, and she gave CSUN the lead for good just over two minutes later.

APU - 1-1-3-1 = 6
CSUN - 0-3-1-3 = 7

APU Goals: Bradley 3, Harris 2, Tisdale
CSUN Goals: Fairchild 4, Hovanesian 2, Yule

APU Saves: N/A
CSUN Saves: Pfister 11

Game Two Recap:

Sanchez posted a hat trick while four other Matadors scored in CSUN's victory over Cal Baptist. After collecting three assists against Azusa Pacific, Hovanesian tallied three more in the match. Van Vugt's 14 saves tie her career best she set at last year's Big West Tournament. The Matadors led by as many as five goals and held off the Lancers down the stretch.

CSUN struck first with just over one minute completed in the first quarter as Sanchez scored her first goal of the season. Sanchez would then net her second goal at the 5:11 mark to double the Matador lead. After Lizette Perez cut lead in half, Hovanesian put the Matadors in front 3-1. Paula Abellan Garcia added to the lead with a goal in the final minute of the period.

Freshman Sara Dempsey scored her first career goal at the 4:02 mark of the second quarter as CSUN continued to stay in front with its defense. The Matadors held the Lancers to another one-goal period to lead 6-2 at the half. Yule netted the Matadors' final goal of the first half with just over a minute to go.

Perez struck the net with 5:49 left to go in the third period, however the Matadors would not let the Lancers get anything else going offensively in the quarter. Sanchez completed the hat trick late in the period to extend the lead to 7-3.

In the fourth quarter, Abellan Garcia picked up her second goal to give CSUN its biggest lead of the match (8-3). The Lancers were able to finally break through on the offensive side of the pool as they made a late run in the match. Back-to-back goals over a 1:26 span trimmed the CSUN lead to 8-5. Yule gave the Matadors some breathing room with a tally at the 3:15 mark but Cal Baptist's Kira O'Donell cut the lead back to three on the next possession. CSUN though would keep the Lancers at bay in the final minutes as Perez trimmed the deficit to 9-7 with eight seconds left but it would not be enough to catch the Matadors.

CBU - 1-1-1-4 = 7
CSUN - 4-2-1-2 = 9

CBU Goals: Perez 3, Wong, Eubanks, Ochoa, O'Donell
CSUN Goals: Sanchez 3, Yule 2 (3), Abellan Garcia 2, Hovanesian (3), Dempsey

CBU Saves: N/A
CSUN Saves: Van Vugt 14

The Matadors conclude their stay at the UCSB Winter Invite on Saturday with matches set with No. 8 Michigan at 1:30 p.m. and Fresno State at 6 p.m.

No. 21 CSUN Posts Two Victories to Open 2018 Season

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Players Mentioned

Paula Abellan Garcia

Sara Dempsey

Katelyn Fairchild

Shannon Hovanesian

Emma Pfister

Madeleine Sanchez

Niki Van Vugt

Amy Yule