Saturday, January 21
Long Beach, Calif.
8:00 a.m.
California State University at Northridge
1-0
17
vs
5
La Verne
0-1
1
2
3
4
F
La Verne
0
1
1
3
5
Cal State Northridge
6
5
2
4
17
Photo by: Steve Fitzgerald
#22 CSUN Wins Twice at Beach Invite to Kick off Season
1/21/2023 6:42:00 PM | Women's Water Polo
LONG BEACH, Calif.---No. 22 CSUN Water Polo went 2-0 at the Beach Invite to kick off the 2023 season on Saturday at Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center. The Matadors defeated La Verne 17-5 in the morning match before holding off a late charge from Biola in a 9-8 win to close out the day.
Last season's Big West leader in goals, Dorottya Telek picked up where she left off with 11 total goals on the day.
GAME 1 RECAP
The Matadors took the lead in the opening minute of the first quarter off a goal from Anna Pal and never looked back. Telek netted four goals in the opening quarter alone to help give CSUN an early cushion. Telek recorded her fifth tally in the second period then Tatiana Smeltzer added another for an 8-0 CSUN lead. Nancy Trinh finally put La Verne in the scoring column near the midway point of the second period on a power play. CSUN though controlled the latter half of the second quarter, scoring three more times and highlighted by a buzzer-beater from Pal for an 11-1 lead.
The third quarter would be a defensive struggle with only three goals scored. The Matadors extended their lead to as big as 12 after goals from Helena Sandhagen and Carly Bockstahler. Freshman Leah Huisar netted her first career goal at the 6:25 mark of the fourth quarter while fellow newcomer, junior Beata Hitterer, hit the net twice in the final stanza. La Verne's Jassmine Kezman scored the final two goals of the match, cutting a CSUN 14-goal lead to 12.
In front of the cage, Meghan Lopez had five saves with only one goal allowed in two quarters of action. Freshman Erica Neri saw her first collegiate action, finishing with five saves over the last 16 minutes.
GAME 2 RECAP
Telek continued her dominant offensive play with an early goal to kick off the match with Biola. Two minutes later, Tatum Scarry checked in with a goal for a CSUN 2-0 lead. A power play helped Biola get on the board near the three-minute mark of the first period but Pal answered for a CSUN with 2:36 remaining. The teams traded goals to end the opening period as Telek hit the net again to put the Matadors on top 4-2.
The Eagles pulled to within one on a power play goal from Rachel Spadt but CSUN responded with goals from Pal and Telek. The Matadors would again gave up a tally in the final minute as Kourtney Pyle beat the halftime buzzer to pull Biola to within 6-4.
Telek helped keep the Eagles at bay with two more goals in the third period, helping extend the lead to 8-5. However, Biola did not go away quietly. After Telek notched her sixth goal to make it a 9-5 game, the Eagles scored three unanswered goals to pull to within one. The Matadors would control the clock in the final seconds to help secure the victory.
Lopez again came up big throughout the match, tallying 14 saves in 32 minutes in front of the cage.
ACCORDING TO COACH MATT WARSHAW
"I liked our effort level and energy in the La Verne game, jumping out to a 4-0 lead was a good sign and a nice start to the season. Twenty-one players appeared in this game and it was nice to see contributions from top to bottom so early in the season.
"We made the Biola game harder than it had to be by missing numerous open shots in the first half. Our stubborn ways must change if we're going to compete at the level we know we're capable of. But a win is a win and we're off to a 2-0 start so we'll rest tomorrow and get back to work Monday."
UP NEXT
CSUN returns to action in two weeks at the Triton Invitational hosted by UC San Diego. The event is scheduled for Feb. 3-5. The Matadors' opponents will be announced at a later date.
#UniteTheValley
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Last season's Big West leader in goals, Dorottya Telek picked up where she left off with 11 total goals on the day.
GAME 1 RECAP
The Matadors took the lead in the opening minute of the first quarter off a goal from Anna Pal and never looked back. Telek netted four goals in the opening quarter alone to help give CSUN an early cushion. Telek recorded her fifth tally in the second period then Tatiana Smeltzer added another for an 8-0 CSUN lead. Nancy Trinh finally put La Verne in the scoring column near the midway point of the second period on a power play. CSUN though controlled the latter half of the second quarter, scoring three more times and highlighted by a buzzer-beater from Pal for an 11-1 lead.
The third quarter would be a defensive struggle with only three goals scored. The Matadors extended their lead to as big as 12 after goals from Helena Sandhagen and Carly Bockstahler. Freshman Leah Huisar netted her first career goal at the 6:25 mark of the fourth quarter while fellow newcomer, junior Beata Hitterer, hit the net twice in the final stanza. La Verne's Jassmine Kezman scored the final two goals of the match, cutting a CSUN 14-goal lead to 12.
In front of the cage, Meghan Lopez had five saves with only one goal allowed in two quarters of action. Freshman Erica Neri saw her first collegiate action, finishing with five saves over the last 16 minutes.
GAME 2 RECAP
Telek continued her dominant offensive play with an early goal to kick off the match with Biola. Two minutes later, Tatum Scarry checked in with a goal for a CSUN 2-0 lead. A power play helped Biola get on the board near the three-minute mark of the first period but Pal answered for a CSUN with 2:36 remaining. The teams traded goals to end the opening period as Telek hit the net again to put the Matadors on top 4-2.
The Eagles pulled to within one on a power play goal from Rachel Spadt but CSUN responded with goals from Pal and Telek. The Matadors would again gave up a tally in the final minute as Kourtney Pyle beat the halftime buzzer to pull Biola to within 6-4.
Telek helped keep the Eagles at bay with two more goals in the third period, helping extend the lead to 8-5. However, Biola did not go away quietly. After Telek notched her sixth goal to make it a 9-5 game, the Eagles scored three unanswered goals to pull to within one. The Matadors would control the clock in the final seconds to help secure the victory.
Lopez again came up big throughout the match, tallying 14 saves in 32 minutes in front of the cage.
ACCORDING TO COACH MATT WARSHAW
"I liked our effort level and energy in the La Verne game, jumping out to a 4-0 lead was a good sign and a nice start to the season. Twenty-one players appeared in this game and it was nice to see contributions from top to bottom so early in the season.
"We made the Biola game harder than it had to be by missing numerous open shots in the first half. Our stubborn ways must change if we're going to compete at the level we know we're capable of. But a win is a win and we're off to a 2-0 start so we'll rest tomorrow and get back to work Monday."
UP NEXT
CSUN returns to action in two weeks at the Triton Invitational hosted by UC San Diego. The event is scheduled for Feb. 3-5. The Matadors' opponents will be announced at a later date.
#UniteTheValley
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Team Stats
ULV
CSUN
Shots
26
27
Goals
5
17
Assists
1
9
Points
6
26
Exclusions
6
12
Steals
5
14
Sprints
0
4
1
Anna Pal
7:39
Dorottya Telek
6:40
Dorottya Telek
5:48
Dorottya Telek
5:13
Dorottya Telek
4:39
Shelby Hovanesian
3:23
2
Dorottya Telek
6:55
Tatiana Smeltzer
5:12
Nancy Trinh
4:44
Alexis Smith
4:00
Jessica Matkovich
1:18
Anna Pal
0:01
3
Helena Sandhagen
2:02
Carly Bockstahler
0:27
Arantza Aguilar
0:06
4
Leah Huisar
6:25
Jassmine Kezman
5:54
Jessica Matkovich
5:26
Beata Hitterer
4:49
Beata Hitterer
4:29
Jassmine Kezman
3:10
Jassmine Kezman
2:51
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
5
Goals
5
Assists
0
Points
5
Shots
5
Goals
2
Assists
0
Points
2
Shots
3
Goals
2
Assists
0
Points
2
Players Mentioned
Center
/ Women's Water PoloCenter
/ Women's Water Polo
Utility
/ Women's Water Polo
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Water Polo
GK
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water PoloCenter
/ Women's Water PoloA Conversation With Matt Warshaw
Friday, May 15
National Student-Athlete Day 2019 - McKenzie Beardsley
Friday, April 05
CSUN Water Polo Report
Friday, February 10
Meet the Matadors - 2017 Women's Water Polo
Wednesday, January 18