Sunday, March 2
Northridge, Calif.
11:00 a.m.
California State University at Northridge
15-4
17
vs
14
#23 Villanova
11-6
1
2
3
4
F
Villanova
2
3
4
5
14
CSUN
5
4
3
5
17
Photo by: Chuck Marvel
CSUN Posts Wire-to-Wire Victory Over #23 Villanova
3/2/2025 12:52:00 PM | Women's Water Polo
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---CSUN Water Polo knocked off No. 23 Villanova 17-14 in its 2025 home opener on Sunday morning at Matador Pool. Dorottya Telek scored a team-high five goals while Kianna Melvin added four goals for the Matadors.
HOW IT HAPPENED
CSUN set the tone in the early going with Telek striking the net in the opening minute of action. Moments later, Sofia Martinez set up Telek for her second tally at the 6:08 mark of the first quarter. A Layla Canales goal put the visitors on the scoreboard, but Anna Pal responded with a goal of her own and Helena Sandhagen added another on a power play at the 4:11 mark for a 4-1 lead. CSUN's lead was 4-2 near the two-minute mark when Telek recorded her third goal of the match. Goalkeeper Erika Staine stopped a last second shot from Villanova to keep CSUN ahead 5-2 through eight minutes.
CSUN's lead was trimmed to two early in the second period, but the Matadors quickly responded with consecutive goals from Pal and Tatum Scarry. Telek soon notched her fifth goal of the match at the 4:16 mark, giving CSUN its biggest lead at 8-3. A power play helped Villanova get a goal back before Pal struck the net off a pass from Nicole Bacoyanis. Riley Hull though ended the quarter with a goal off a 6-on-5 advantage to make it a 9-5 game at intermission.
The opening two minutes of the third quarter saw each side scoring once with Telek recording a tally for CSUN. Villanova though added another tally on a power play with Hull hitting the back of the net at the 4:03 mark. Melvin scored her first goal of the match a minute later, but Villanova answered with back-to-back tallies from Hull and Tiffany McGuire to pull to within 11-9. In the final seconds of the third period, Melvin gave the Matadors some breathing room with a late goal for a 12-9 advantage.
The Wildcats continued to make a charge to start the final period, scoring on a Canales shot to pull to within two. That goal though began a stretch where five goals were scored over a 90-second span. Martinez gave CSUN a 13-10 lead before Hull scored for Villanova again. Sandhagen then set up Martinez on another tally before Mackenzie Wood gave CSUN another goal moments later to stretch the lead to 15-11. Villanova got closer on Hull's fifth goal of the match, but the Matadors took advantage of a power play with Melvin hitting the net for a third time. Melvin soon completed the scoring for CSUN with her fourth goal with 2:02 left to play. CSUN held Villanova to just a single tally the rest of the way to secure the win.
NOTES OF THE GAME
ACCORDING TO COACH MATT WARSHAW
"Going 5-0 over three days and ending with a win over a ranked opponent is a special thing. This weekend was a turning point for us, we responded every time we got tested. The depth of this roster was on full display this weekend, our specialist did just that, our role players held their own and we got good performances from our goalies. Looking forward to getting Big West competition started this week."
UP NEXT
CSUN opens Big West play on Friday, March 7 against UC Davis at Matador Pool. Start time is set for 2 p.m.
#GoMatadors
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HOW IT HAPPENED
CSUN set the tone in the early going with Telek striking the net in the opening minute of action. Moments later, Sofia Martinez set up Telek for her second tally at the 6:08 mark of the first quarter. A Layla Canales goal put the visitors on the scoreboard, but Anna Pal responded with a goal of her own and Helena Sandhagen added another on a power play at the 4:11 mark for a 4-1 lead. CSUN's lead was 4-2 near the two-minute mark when Telek recorded her third goal of the match. Goalkeeper Erika Staine stopped a last second shot from Villanova to keep CSUN ahead 5-2 through eight minutes.
CSUN's lead was trimmed to two early in the second period, but the Matadors quickly responded with consecutive goals from Pal and Tatum Scarry. Telek soon notched her fifth goal of the match at the 4:16 mark, giving CSUN its biggest lead at 8-3. A power play helped Villanova get a goal back before Pal struck the net off a pass from Nicole Bacoyanis. Riley Hull though ended the quarter with a goal off a 6-on-5 advantage to make it a 9-5 game at intermission.
The opening two minutes of the third quarter saw each side scoring once with Telek recording a tally for CSUN. Villanova though added another tally on a power play with Hull hitting the back of the net at the 4:03 mark. Melvin scored her first goal of the match a minute later, but Villanova answered with back-to-back tallies from Hull and Tiffany McGuire to pull to within 11-9. In the final seconds of the third period, Melvin gave the Matadors some breathing room with a late goal for a 12-9 advantage.
The Wildcats continued to make a charge to start the final period, scoring on a Canales shot to pull to within two. That goal though began a stretch where five goals were scored over a 90-second span. Martinez gave CSUN a 13-10 lead before Hull scored for Villanova again. Sandhagen then set up Martinez on another tally before Mackenzie Wood gave CSUN another goal moments later to stretch the lead to 15-11. Villanova got closer on Hull's fifth goal of the match, but the Matadors took advantage of a power play with Melvin hitting the net for a third time. Melvin soon completed the scoring for CSUN with her fourth goal with 2:02 left to play. CSUN held Villanova to just a single tally the rest of the way to secure the win.
NOTES OF THE GAME
- CSUN improves to 15-4 overall while Villanova slips to 11-6.
- Pal finished with a hat trick while Martinez scored twice.
- In front of the cage, Staine collected a total of seven saves while playing the full match.
- The win was CSUN's first over a ranked opponent this season.
ACCORDING TO COACH MATT WARSHAW
"Going 5-0 over three days and ending with a win over a ranked opponent is a special thing. This weekend was a turning point for us, we responded every time we got tested. The depth of this roster was on full display this weekend, our specialist did just that, our role players held their own and we got good performances from our goalies. Looking forward to getting Big West competition started this week."
UP NEXT
CSUN opens Big West play on Friday, March 7 against UC Davis at Matador Pool. Start time is set for 2 p.m.
#GoMatadors
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Team Stats
NOVA
CSUN
Shots
31
34
Goals
14
17
Assists
2
17
Points
16
34
Exclusions
4
14
Steals
4
6
Sprints
2
2
1
Dorottya Telek
6:57
Dorottya Telek
6:08
Layla Canales
5:32
Anna Pal
5:04
Helena Sandhagen
4:11
Layla Canales
3:41
Dorottya Telek
2:38
2
Emily McKenzie
7:32
Anna Pal
6:18
Tatum Scarry
5:41
Dorottya Telek
4:16
Tiffiany Maguire
3:13
Anna Pal
0:51
Riley Hull
0:32
3
Sara Withers
6:30
Dorottya Telek
6:00
Riley Hull
4:03
Kianna Melvin
3:11
Riley Hull
2:50
Tiffiany Maguire
1:16
Kianna Melvin
0:17
4
Layla Canales
7:25
Sofia Martinez
7:08
Riley Hull
6:47
Sofia Martinez
6:33
Mackenzie Wood
6:10
Riley Hull
3:47
Kianna Melvin
3:14
Sara Withers
2:21
Kianna Melvin
2:02
Layla Canales
1:01
Game Leaders
Players
Shots
6
Goals
5
Assists
2
Points
7
Shots
6
Goals
2
Assists
1
Points
3
Shots
5
Goals
4
Assists
1
Points
5
Players Mentioned
Attacker
/ Women's Water PoloUtility
/ Women's Water PoloUtility
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Water PoloCenter
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water PoloA Conversation With Matt Warshaw
Friday, May 15
National Student-Athlete Day 2019 - McKenzie Beardsley
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CSUN Water Polo Report
Friday, February 10
Meet the Matadors - 2017 Women's Water Polo
Wednesday, January 18