California State University Northridge Athletics
Saturday, February 12
La Jolla, Calif.
10:40 a.m.
California State University at Northridge
vs
#6 Hawai'i
Photo by: Shae Hammond
Matadors to Play Top Teams at Triton Invitational
2/10/2022 9:30:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Water Polo (1-1) is back in action this weekend at the Triton Invitational hosted by UC San Diego. The Matadors match up with No. 6 Hawai'i to begin the invite on Saturday at 10:40 a.m. CSUN will play either No. 7 UC Irvine or No. 23 Marist on Saturday afternoon before playing two more matches at the invitational on Sunday.
The Triton Invitational boasts 15 teams this year with 12 ranked in the national top-25 poll. Three top-five teams including top-ranked USC, third-ranked UCLA and fifth-ranked Michigan are among the participants at the event this season. Although not ranked, the Matadors did receive votes in this week's national poll by Collegiate Water Polo Association. The Matadors are competing at the Triton Invitational for the 16th time in team history this week.
CSUN made its long-awaited return to the pool two weekends ago at the Lancer Joust hosted by California Baptist. The Matadors dropped a heartbreaker to CBU 9-8 to open the event before bouncing back with an 11-10 win over Concordia. The games were the Matadors' first in 693 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic shortening the 2020 season and CSUN opting out of the 2021 campaign.
At the Lancer Joust, it would be a big day for Dorottya Telek who made her CSUN debut. Telek netted a combined nine goals in the two games including six in the victory over Concordia. Her six goals were one shy of tying a CSUN record for a single match. Helena Sandhagen also had a strong day in the pool, picking up six combined goals with five coming against Concordia. In front of the cage, Meghan Lopez had nine saves for CSUN against CBU while Piper McCulloch earned the start against Concordia and had six saves.Â
A total of seven Matadors made their debut with the program at the Lancer Joust, which include Telek, Anna Pal, Nicole Thomas, Tatum Scarry, Valeria Martinez, Kelsey Meyers and Tatiana Smeltzer. Thomas had two goals and an assist for CSUN two weekends ago while Pal had a goal with three assists. Martinez chipped in with a goal and an assist in her first games.
A Closer Look at Hawai'i
The Rainbow Wahine (3-1) had a magical 2021 season where the team won the Big West regular season and tournament titles. Picked to finish second in the conference this season by the league's head coaches, Hawai'i has returned 11 letterwinners from last season. The team has won three consecutive games after dropping its season opener to Michigan.
Lara Luka earned Big West Player of the Week honors on Feb. 2 after tallying 12 goals over the teams' first four matches. Luka had 17 goals for Hawai'i last season. Lucia Gomez de la Puente picked up All-American and All-Big West First Team honors in 2021 after scoring a team-high 21 goals.
#UniteTheValley
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The Triton Invitational boasts 15 teams this year with 12 ranked in the national top-25 poll. Three top-five teams including top-ranked USC, third-ranked UCLA and fifth-ranked Michigan are among the participants at the event this season. Although not ranked, the Matadors did receive votes in this week's national poll by Collegiate Water Polo Association. The Matadors are competing at the Triton Invitational for the 16th time in team history this week.
CSUN made its long-awaited return to the pool two weekends ago at the Lancer Joust hosted by California Baptist. The Matadors dropped a heartbreaker to CBU 9-8 to open the event before bouncing back with an 11-10 win over Concordia. The games were the Matadors' first in 693 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic shortening the 2020 season and CSUN opting out of the 2021 campaign.
At the Lancer Joust, it would be a big day for Dorottya Telek who made her CSUN debut. Telek netted a combined nine goals in the two games including six in the victory over Concordia. Her six goals were one shy of tying a CSUN record for a single match. Helena Sandhagen also had a strong day in the pool, picking up six combined goals with five coming against Concordia. In front of the cage, Meghan Lopez had nine saves for CSUN against CBU while Piper McCulloch earned the start against Concordia and had six saves.Â
A total of seven Matadors made their debut with the program at the Lancer Joust, which include Telek, Anna Pal, Nicole Thomas, Tatum Scarry, Valeria Martinez, Kelsey Meyers and Tatiana Smeltzer. Thomas had two goals and an assist for CSUN two weekends ago while Pal had a goal with three assists. Martinez chipped in with a goal and an assist in her first games.
A Closer Look at Hawai'i
The Rainbow Wahine (3-1) had a magical 2021 season where the team won the Big West regular season and tournament titles. Picked to finish second in the conference this season by the league's head coaches, Hawai'i has returned 11 letterwinners from last season. The team has won three consecutive games after dropping its season opener to Michigan.
Lara Luka earned Big West Player of the Week honors on Feb. 2 after tallying 12 goals over the teams' first four matches. Luka had 17 goals for Hawai'i last season. Lucia Gomez de la Puente picked up All-American and All-Big West First Team honors in 2021 after scoring a team-high 21 goals.
#UniteTheValley
Â
Players Mentioned
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Water Polo
Utility
/ Women's Water Polo
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Water Polo
Defender
/ Women's Water Polo
Defender
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Center
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
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