Friday, April 5
Northridge, Calif.
12:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
17-13, 1-4
9
vs
8
#15 UC Santa Barbara
13-11, 1-3
1
2
3
4
F
UC Santa Barbara
3
2
2
1
8
CSUN
2
2
1
4
9
Photo by: Connor Clark
#25 CSUN Rallies for First Win Over #15 UCSB Since 2017
4/5/2024 3:17:00 PM | Women's Water Polo
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---Anna Pal scored three unanswered goals over the final two minutes to lift No. 25 CSUN past No. 15 UC Santa Barbara, 9-8, on Senior Day Friday afternoon at Matador Pool. Senior Meghan Lopez finished with 14 saves in her final home match of her career. CSUN claimed its first win over UC Santa Barbara since 2017 on Friday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Helena Sandhagen opened up the scoring on the afternoon at the 6:01 mark of the first quarter before UCSB evened it up on a tally from Cami Mras. After Dorottya Telek drew a penalty and hit the net to give CSUN a 2-1 edge, the Gauchos closed the quarter on goals from Leigh Lyter and Christina Mullane to surge in front. In the second, UCSB netted the first two goals of the period to open up a 5-2 lead. The Matadors though continued to stay close as CSUN took advantage of two UCSB exclusions to pull to within one. Kianna Melvin and Shelby Hovanesian netted CSUN's two tallies of the second period to trim the deficit to 5-4 at intermission.
As they did in the second quarter, the Gauchos started quickly, and after goals from Lyter and Annie Kuester, UCSB led 7-4 with 6:09 on the clock. CSUN would be held scoreless in the third until Nicole Thomas hit the net at the 2:14 mark to pull CSUN to within 7-5.
Tatiana Smeltzer brought CSUN closer at the six-minute mark of the fourth period with her first goal of the day. The Matadors' defense held strong for most of the fourth period, but the Gauchos picked up a timely tally from Lyter to take an 8-6 lead with 2:21 to play. On CSUN's next possession, Pal struck for the Matadors to again cut the lead to one. The Matadors picked up a defensive stop before Pal hit the tying goal with 1:17 remaining. The Matadors would get a chance to take the lead after defensive stand as Pal found room for the go-ahead goal with 19 seconds to play. UCSB had one last look in the final seconds, but Lopez picked up a save on the last shot attempt to seal a CSUN win.
NOTES OF THE GAME
ACCORDING TO COACH MATT WARSHAW
"Excellent way to honor our seniors with a home victory. Seven different Matadors scoring goals really shows the true team effort we played with today. Our energy from the start was outstanding and climbing out of a three-goal deficit was just showcasing the heart and character of this team. Wins in our conference are hard to get so we'll celebrate this one tonight and get back to work preparing for Fullerton on the road on Sunday.
UP NEXT
CSUN hits the road for its penultimate match of the regular season against Cal State Fullerton on Sunday at noon. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
#GoMatadors
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HOW IT HAPPENED
Helena Sandhagen opened up the scoring on the afternoon at the 6:01 mark of the first quarter before UCSB evened it up on a tally from Cami Mras. After Dorottya Telek drew a penalty and hit the net to give CSUN a 2-1 edge, the Gauchos closed the quarter on goals from Leigh Lyter and Christina Mullane to surge in front. In the second, UCSB netted the first two goals of the period to open up a 5-2 lead. The Matadors though continued to stay close as CSUN took advantage of two UCSB exclusions to pull to within one. Kianna Melvin and Shelby Hovanesian netted CSUN's two tallies of the second period to trim the deficit to 5-4 at intermission.
As they did in the second quarter, the Gauchos started quickly, and after goals from Lyter and Annie Kuester, UCSB led 7-4 with 6:09 on the clock. CSUN would be held scoreless in the third until Nicole Thomas hit the net at the 2:14 mark to pull CSUN to within 7-5.
Tatiana Smeltzer brought CSUN closer at the six-minute mark of the fourth period with her first goal of the day. The Matadors' defense held strong for most of the fourth period, but the Gauchos picked up a timely tally from Lyter to take an 8-6 lead with 2:21 to play. On CSUN's next possession, Pal struck for the Matadors to again cut the lead to one. The Matadors picked up a defensive stop before Pal hit the tying goal with 1:17 remaining. The Matadors would get a chance to take the lead after defensive stand as Pal found room for the go-ahead goal with 19 seconds to play. UCSB had one last look in the final seconds, but Lopez picked up a save on the last shot attempt to seal a CSUN win.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- CSUN improves to 17-13 overall and 1-4 in Big West play while UCSB falls to 13-11 overall and 1-3 in conference.
- The Matadors honored an eight-member senior class before the match in Lopez, Hovanesian, Smeltzer, Thomas, Jenna Olson, Beata Hitterer, Maria Sandoghdar and Carly Bockstahler.
- Lopez's 14 saves pushed her career total to 807 with the Matadors.
- With three goals, Pal has scored a career-high 60 goals on the season.
ACCORDING TO COACH MATT WARSHAW
"Excellent way to honor our seniors with a home victory. Seven different Matadors scoring goals really shows the true team effort we played with today. Our energy from the start was outstanding and climbing out of a three-goal deficit was just showcasing the heart and character of this team. Wins in our conference are hard to get so we'll celebrate this one tonight and get back to work preparing for Fullerton on the road on Sunday.
UP NEXT
CSUN hits the road for its penultimate match of the regular season against Cal State Fullerton on Sunday at noon. The match will be broadcast on ESPN+.
#GoMatadors
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Team Stats
UCSB
CSUN
Shots
31
30
Goals
8
9
Assists
6
6
Points
14
15
Exclusions
9
7
Steals
7
5
Sprints
2
2
1
Helena Sandhagen
6:01
Cami Mras
5:37
Dorottya Telek
3:41
Leigh Lyter
3:25
Christina Mullane
2:38
2
Annie Kuester
7:04
Christina Mullane
4:36
Kianna Melvin
4:01
Shelby Hovanesian
0:45
3
Leigh Lyter
7:38
Annie Kuester
6:09
Nicole Thomas
2:14
4
Tatiana Smeltzer
5:58
Leigh Lyter
2:21
Anna Pal
2:00
Anna Pal
1:17
Anna Pal
0:19
Game Leaders
Shots
5
Goals
1
Assists
1
Points
2
Shots
4
Goals
1
Assists
1
Points
2
Shots
3
Goals
0
Assists
1
Points
1
Players Mentioned
Center
/ Women's Water Polo
Center
/ Women's Water PoloAttacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Water Polo
Utility
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Utility
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water PoloCenter
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water PoloPeter J. Accardy Pool Naming Campaign
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