#23 CSUN Continues Big West Play at #15 UC San Diego

Saturday, February 28

La Jolla, Calif.

12:00 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

#15 UC San Diego

Photo by: Steve Fitzgerald

#23 CSUN Continues Big West Play at #15 UC San Diego

2/26/2026 1:13:00 PM | Women's Water Polo

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---The No. 23rd-ranked CSUN Water Polo team (10-3, 1-0 Big West) continues Big West action on Saturday, visiting No. 15 UC San Diego at noon. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.

ABOUT LAST WEEK
The Matadors opened Big West play with a 10-6 victory at Cal State Fullerton last Friday. The win was CSUN's first conference-opening victory since 2015. CSUN had a balanced effort offensively with freshmen Marjorie Krueger and Mira Dravucz, sophomore Sofia Martinez and senior Kianna Melvin each scoring two goals in the win. Goalkeeper Erika Staine racked up 14 saves in the contest while she also scored her first goal of the season late in the match. CSUN broke open a 4-3 game in the third period with 3-0 run and continued that string with the first two goals of the fourth period. Fullerton made a late charge in the closing minutes, but CSUN came away with the victory.

NATIONAL RANKINGS
CSUN remained steady in the No. 23 spot in this week's CWPA national top-25 poll. The 23rd-ranking is the highest for the Matadors this season. Aside from week one, CSUN has been ranked in the national poll in every other week this season.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Replacing nine seniors in the offseason, CSUN has turned to its underclassmen to shoulder much of the load through the early portion of the season, as the team's top nine goal scorers are either freshmen or sophomores. True freshman Mira Dravucz leads the Matadors and shares the Big West lead in goals with 39 this season as she is shooting at a 57.4 percent clip. Sophomore Sofia Martinez has hit the net 25 times while she tops CSUN in steals with 20. Freshman center Ella Furuholmen sports 19 goals while freshman Sophia Cooper has totaled 15. The rest of CSUN's double-digit goal scorers include freshman Marjorie Krueger (14 goals), freshman Ashley Strickland (13 goals), sophomore Mackenzie Wood (11 goals), sophomore Lucie Lapuz (10 goals) and freshman Raygan Carroll (10 goals).

ERIKA MANAGING THE CAGE
Junior goalkeeper Erika Staine enters the weekend leading the Big West with a 9.75 goals-against-average. In nine matches, Staine has totaled 72 saves, which ranks fifth-best in the Big West, while she has racked up 256 minutes in front of the cage. Stained has also recorded double-digit saves three times this season, highlighted by a season-high 14 against Cal State Fullerton on Feb. 20.

WARSHAW TIES COACHING RECORD
Head coach Matt Warshaw notched his 127th all-time career coaching win on Feb. 20 when CSUN knocked off Cal State Fullerton. The victory tied Warshaw with Molly Barnes for the most career wins in CSUN women's water polo history. Warshaw, who is CSUN's longest tenured head coach, has posted a 127-121 all-time record with the Matadors over his nine seasons at the helm.

SCOUTING UC SAN DIEGO
The Tritons are 6-6 on the season and 1-1 in Big West play. Last week, UCSD dropped a 14-10 decision to UC Irvine before earning its first conference win with a 15-7 decision against Cal State Fullerton. Abigail Schechter leads the Tritons and ranks fourth in the Big West with 34 goals on the year. Right behind Schechter, Emily Cloherty has totaled 23 goals with 10 assists for UCSD. In goal, Bria Zwaschka has picked up 98 saves to go with a 11.77 goals-against-average through 12 matches.

Series History: UCSD holds a 17-12 edge over CSUN in the all-time series including posting 12 straight wins in the series. The Tritons were victorious over the Matadors by a 19-12 margin last season at Matador Pool. CSUN is seeking its first win over UC San Diego since March 12, 2015, when the Matadors earned an 8-4 road win in La Jolla.

#GoMatadors