SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The second-seeded Fresno State water polo team opened the Golden Coast Conference championship tournament with a dominant 22-6 win over No. 7 Santa Clara on Friday afternoon at the Sullivan Aquatics Center in Santa Clara.
The Bulldogs advance to the semifinals and will face No. 3 Pacific Saturday at 2 p.m. The Tigers defeated Azusa Pacific in a sudden death overtime thriller to advance to the semis.
Brooke Ochoa and Robyn Greenslade led the team with four goals apiece. Ella Simone added three. Hailey Andress, Abbey Simshauser and Elisa Grim netted two each while Cynthia Rosa, Kaitlin Howarth, Susanna Martinez, Ashley Williams and Sidney Strickland scored one each to round out scoring.
Paula Nieto Jasny and Ida Tully-Giles split time in the cage. Nieto Jasny had five saves while Tully-Giles added four.
How it happened
Fresno State got out to a nine goal lead before Santa Clara got on the board. The 'Dogs held the Broncos off the board in the entirety of the first quarter. Williams scored the first goal of the game at the 6:45 mark and Ochoa followed with a converted penalty shot to put the 'Dogs up two. Ochoa added two more goals in the period, with help from Andress and Rosa.
Simshauser, Greenslade, and Simone opened up scoring in the second quarter before Santa Clara scored its first goal of the game with 3:39 remaining before halftime. Martinez, Grim and Ochoa rounded out the scoring in the second quarter. Fresno State led 12-1 at halftime.
Greenslade opened up the third quarter with back-to-back goals. Howarth scored the 15th goal of the game at the 5:40 mark, and Strickland connected on one of her own with 3:43 left in the quarter. Santa Clara took advantage of a powerplay opportunity for its second goal of the game. Simshauser scored to counter, but the Broncos closed out the quarter with two in a row.
Greenslade again opened up scoring in the fourth quarter, on a powerplay chance. The teams traded goals, but Fresno State ended the game with three-straight for the 22-6 win.
Up Next
Fresno State will face Pacific in the semifinal round tomorrow at 2 p.m. More information can be found on the GCC's tournament central.