Women's Water Polo | March 10, 2024

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The La Salle women's water polo team fell in four games at the Aztec Invitational, including dropping to three ranked opponents.
 
The Explorers suffered a tough double overtime loss to Cal State Fullerton and dropped another game to #22 Cal State Northridge on Saturday. The team suffered two more defeats at the hands of T-#13/T-#15 UC San Diego and T-#13/T-#13 Indiana on Sunday.


HOW IT HAPPENED - CAL STATE FULLERTON (L, 7-6 OT)

• The first half was a low-scoring battle between the two schools, each team only finding the back of the net once.
• Senior Sofia Kolovou opened the scoring with a goal, before the Titans tied it up before the end of the first period.
• The second quarter saw each team pitch shutouts, before La Salle took the lead, 2-1, to start the third quarter on a goal by Francesca Co'.
• Senior Hannah Woren extended the margin for the Explorers before the Titans responded with three straight scores to take a lead heading to the fourth quarter.
• Co' tickled the twine with a penalty shot goal to knot the score at 4-4 with 6:03 to go in regulation.
• Kolovou once again put the Explorers in front with her second of the match at the 4:37 mark, before CSF equalized with 1:42 to go to force extra time.
• The first overtime period saw both teams score, with Casey Malone registering her first of the game to tie the score at 6-6 with 1:25 left.
• In the second OT, Woren had her shot to win the game denied by the CSF goalkeeper. Following an exclusion call on the Explorers, the Titans scored the sudden-victory goal with 1:02 left in the period.

HOW IT HAPPENED - #22 CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE (L, 9-3)

• Northridge opened up a 4-2 lead after the first quarter, with Co' scoring both goals for the Explorers.
• Freshman Martina Bonnet Saez edged La Salle closer with the lone goal of the second, as La Salle trailed by a slim 4-3 margin at halftime.
• The second half saw the Matadors score two times in the third and three more in the fourth while holding the Explorers off the board.
• Freshman Lily Kirby had eight saves in goal for La Salle. 

HOW IT HAPPENED - #T-13/T-15 UC San Diego (L, 11-6)

• UCSD got to a 3-1 lead in the first quarter, with Bonnet Saez scoring for La Salle.
• The teams exchanged goals in the second to set the score at 4-2 heading into halftime, Kolovou found the back of the net.
• The third quarter saw La Salle come fast and furious, pulling within one goal, 5-4, with 6:48 remaining. Bonnet Saez and Kolovou scored for the Explorers.
• Despite over five scoreless minutes from the Matadors, La Salle could not break through. UC San Diego scored the next five goals to take a 10-4 advantage with 5:43 left on the board.
• Co' and Malone scored in the final frame.

HOW IT HAPPENED - #T-13/T-13 Indiana (L, 16-8)

• Indiana got out to a 3-0 lead, but the Explorers found their footing again via goals from Co' and Kolovou and split the remaining of the frame with the Hoosiers, 5-2.
• The Hoosiers kept rolling, outscoring La Salle 4-1 in the second. Co' scored the lone goal for La Salle.
• The teams scored three goals each in the third quarter to push the tally to 12-6. Co' scored all three goals for La Salle.
• Bonnet Saez and Co' scored in the final frame.
• Co' scored six goals to lead all scorers.

 
UP NEXT

• Cal Baptist and a rematch with Cal State Northridge await La Salle on Tuesday. The games will stream on YouTube.