By IRIVNE, Calif. – For the second consecutive year, No. 6 Long Beach State women’s water polo (17-11) fell just one game short of its first Big West conference title and first-ever NCAA Championship Tournament appearance.
Entering as the No. 2 seed, LBSU took care of business in the first two rounds of the conference tournament. However, the team fell 8-6 to the No. 1 seed and nationally ranked No. 4 University of Hawai’i in the championship final on Sunday at the Anteater Aquatics Center.
Friday, April 25, LBSU 22 – CSUN 8
LBSU dismantled No. 24 Cal State Northridge 16-2 in their lone regular season matchup and it was much of the same on Friday.
Senior CSUN defender Anna Pal, who led the Big West in assists this season at 65, orchestrated the Matadors’ first score with an assist before cashing in herself on a penalty shot to take a surprising early 2-0 lead.
However, The Beach responded quickly to the Matadors’ early run with three straight goals to end the quarter to take a 3-2 lead.
“I thought we started a little nervous, but then we started to feel more like ourselves, playing happy and having fun and we let the nerves go out,” senior LBSU attacker Martina Cardona said.
The standout attacking duo of Cardona and junior Elisa Portillo led the way in carrying The Beach’s momentum to the second quarter, scoring four of their seven goals in the period to make it a 10-2 run to close the half.
“We know they’re [Cardona and Portillo] going to always show up, and we need everyone to show up, and obviously with 22 goals, that shows it was a whole team effort,” LBSU head coach Shana Welch said.
LBSU’s swarming defensive effort fueled its offensive attack, with four scores coming directly off CSUN turnovers.
With the match firmly in hand, The Beach closed out the second half strong to seal a 22-8 victory.
Cardona and Portillo combined for seven goals in the win, while LBSU senior goalkeeper Chelsea Oliver, who sat out the second half due to The Beach’s imposing lead, recorded seven saves on a .636 save percentage.
Saturday, April 26, LBSU 12 – UCI 11
Facing the rival No. 7 UC Irvine Anteaters for the fourth time this season, The Beach came out firing with a 4-0 run in the first period.
LBSU maintained a sizable lead throughout the majority of the contest, its highest being a 9-4 advantage late in the second quarter, as Cardona, Portillo and freshman defender Rita Gurri Capel each chipped in a pair of goals.
Leading the scoring attack on Saturday was the unexpected hero, Amanda Price. The graduate utility who was just 10th on the team with 15 goals this season had herself a hat trick in the semifinals, with her third score giving LBSU a 12-8 lead in the final quarter.
With their season slipping away, the Anteaters mustered a 3-0 run to bring it within one score.
A penalty on Cardona with 43 seconds remaining gave them a penalty shot to tie the contest, but when The Beach needed a stop, Oliver stepped up with her career-high tying 16th save to help clinch the victory.
Sunday, April 27, Hawai’i 8 – LBSU 6
In the championship final on Sunday, Hawai’i took advantage of several LBSU mistakes in the first period, as an offensive foul led to a clean shot for junior Rainbow Wahine attacker Roni Perlman, who grabbed the first goal of the game.
Freshman defender Rita Gurri Capel loads up for a shot in The Beach’s Big West Tournament championship final loss to Hawai’i. Photo credit: Devin Malast
The Wahine dominated the first half, building a 7-2 lead by capitalizing on multiple power plays as The Beach had six exclusions in the half.
Seven different players scored for the balanced Hawai’i scoring attack, while their sophomore goalie Daisy Logtens amassed seven saves on a staggering .788 save percentage before halftime, finishing with 14 in the game.
After being held scoreless in the third, The Beach raged back with their season on the line in the fourth with a 3-0 run generated by two goals from Cardona and one from Portillo, after the duo was held largely in check for three quarters.
However, after having multiple opportunities to cut the lead to one, an offensive foul on LBSU, followed by a penalty on junior attacker Grace Cuozzo, led to a dagger penalty shot by freshman Hawai’i attacker Ema Vernoux to help seal the conference title.
Sunday’s loss marked the end of the LBSU careers for Cardona and Oliver, who both etched their names in the program’s record books.
Cardona reached her 150th goal milestone in the quarterfinal victory on Friday, and ended her career ninth in LBSU history with 155 goals.
This season was a season to remember for Oliver, who led the Big West in save percentage and capped off a four-year career starting at goalie for The Beach that landed her third all-time in school history with 720 saves.
LBSU elected not to make itself available to the media following the loss.
