GLENDALE, Calif. - The No. 8 Fresno State water polo team picked up a 15-9 win at Azusa Pacific (RV) on Friday afternoon, improving to 16-7 on the season and 4-1 in GCC play.
The Bulldogs were led in scoring by Brooke Ochoa and Hailey Andress with three goals each. Cynthia Rosa, Abbey Simshauser, and Megan Cranley added two apiece. Elisa Grim, Kaitlin Howarth and Ashley Williams tallied a score each.
Defensively, the 'Dogs had 14 steals with a team-high five from Andress. Paula Nieto Jasny played three quarters, grabbing six saves. Freshman Ida Tully-Giles played the fourth quarter, grabbing one save.
How it happened
Neither team was able to score until Ochoa hit one in at the 3:05 mark of the first quarter. The Bulldogs closed the opening period on a goal by Cranley, and led 2-0 at the end of the first.
APU opened up scoring in the second quarter with its first goal of the game at the 6:11 mark. Rosa responded with 4:29 left, putting Fresno State up 3-1. Howarth and Ochoa scored back-to-back before APU could find an answer. It didn't take long after that for Rosa to find the back of the net for the final goal of the half.
Fresno State led 6-2 at the break.
The Bulldogs pulled away in the third quarter, out-scoring APU 6-3. The Cougars scored first, but were then called for a penalty foul. Andress stepped up for the penalty shot, making it past the keeper for the goal. APU responded back, but Simshauser scored her two goals of the game within a minute of each other to extend Fresno State's lead to five, 9-4. APU scored its final goal of the quarter with 2:59 left, but the Bulldogs closed out with three in-a-row from Ochoa, Cranley and Williams in the final 1:45.
APU outscored the 'Dogs in the fourth, but the Bulldogs had enough insurance goals tacked on. Fresno State scored three goals in the final period with two from Andress and one by Grim.
Notable
Fresno State won its second true road game of the season.
Fresno State extends its winning streak against APU to eight games.
Fresno State remains undefeated on the season when scoring more than 10 goals.
The Bulldogs move to 14-2 when allowing nine or fewer goals to their opponents.
The Bulldogs had only five exclusions on Friday, tying for their second-fewest in a game this season.
The Bulldogs shot at a 48.4% clip, their highest in a game since facing CBU on March 9.
Hailey Andress recorded her 11th hat trick of the season. She is one off of the single season program record.
With five steals today, Andress broke the single season program record for most steals in a season. She currently sits with 42, passing the record of 41 set by Brooke Ochoa a season ago.
Up Next
The Bulldogs round out the regular season with a pair of games at home next weekend. On Friday (April 19), the 'Dogs host Pacific at 1 p.m. PT at the Aquatics Center. On Saturday (April 20), Fresno State hosts Santa Clara for a Senior Day matchup at 1 p.m. PT.
The Bulldogs will honor seniors Robyn Greenslade, Kaitlin Howarth, Paula Nieto Jasny, Cynthia Rosa and Kelly Villanueva.
Admission is free.