SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The second-seeded Fresno State water polo team makes its return to the Golden Coast Conference Championship game following an 11-8 win over the No. 3 seed Pacific in the semifinal round on Saturday.
Fresno State was again led by Brooke Ochoa as the junior scored five goals on seven shots in the win. Abbey Simshauser and Kaitlin Howarth contributed with two each, and Hailey Andress and Ashley Williams rounded out the scoring with a goal apiece.
Paula Nieto Jasny came up clutch with eight saves and three steals in 32 minutes of play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Ochoa got the Bulldog scoring started with back-to-back goals within the first two minutes of the game, with an assist from Simshauser. The Bulldogs led by three before the Tigers could score in the first quarter. Simshauser closed scoring in the first quarter with a penalty shot to make it a 4-1 game in favor of the Bulldogs.
Simshauser connected with Ochoa to score the first goal of the second period, extending the lead to four. The Tigers attempted two more shots on their next possessions, but Nieto Jasny made the stops. Andress found Wiliams at center to extend the lead to five at 6-1, but Pacific responded to cut the Bulldogs' run. Ochoa and Simshauser netted a pair to close out the first half with Fresno State ahead 8-2.
Scoring was minimal in the third with Pacific scoring the first two goals in the opening five minutes before the Bulldogs could get on the board. Ochoa scored at the 2:34 mark on the assist from Andress to hold the lead at five goals, 9-4. Pacific took advantage of a powerplay opportunity on the final possession, scoring with three seconds remaining in the quarter. At the end of the period, Fresno State led 9-5.
Howarth made quick work off of a Tiger turnover, scoring off the assist from Simshauser to get Fresno State its magic 10th goal of the game with 6:09 remaining. A minute later, Andress scored off the assist from Cranley. Pacific ended the game with three unanswered goals, but Fresno State came out on top 11-8 at the final buzzer.
Up Next
The Bulldogs make their return to the championship game on Sunday, chasing their fourth straight tournament title. Fresno State will face No. 1-seeded LMU in the championship game. LMU defeated Concordia in the opening round and San Diego State on Saturday to advance to the title game.
All information can be found on the GCC Tournament Central website.