FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State water polo team made history in more ways than one at the Aquatics Center on Sunday, defeating No. 1 Stanford for the first time in program history then following up with a win over No. 18 San Jose State to open the season 4-0, the first time ever for the Bulldog program.
The 'Dogs defeated the top-ranked Cardinal 11-10 and turned around to defeat San Jose State 11-6 on Sunday evening.
"The program has been through so many firsts and I think it is neat to have a few firsts this weekend -- first time beating Michigan, first time beating Stanford and first time going 4-0 to start our season which is pretty great," said head coach Natalie Benson. "This is a really resilient group. I don't question their effort or their desire to be great. I think we saw that today. It is really hard to come back after a really big and emotional game like that, and have another one, but they handled their business and were able to finish the tournament. I am proud of the girls. They trained really hard, and they prepared for this and they have had that date circled on the calendar. They handled business." goalkeeper Paula Nieto Jasny had another big day on Sunday, totaling 13 saves, two steals and two goals on the day. Offensively, Elisa Grim led the scoring efforts over the two games with five goals on the day.
How it happened vs. No. 1 Stanford
The game was a defensive battle until Stanford found the back of the net with the first score at the 2:59 mark of the first quarter. Elisa Grim took advantage of a Cardinal exclusion to even the score at one apiece with 20 seconds remaining. Stanford drove and scored to regain the lead with eight seconds on the clock. Controlling the possession, Paula Nieto Jasny lobbed the shot from across the pool and found the back of the net as time expired to tie it at two at the end of the first.
Fresno State outscored Stanford 4-2 in the second to gain its lead. Brooke Ochoa opened the scoring off a penalty shot early on. Stanford's next goal was off a penalty shot as well, tying the game at three apiece with 5:33 left in the first half. Robyn Greenslade drew a Cardinal exclusion that set up a 6-on-5 advantage for the 'Dogs who would capitalize as Abbey Simshauser found Grim to complete the powerplay. Greenslade scored her first off the dish from Kira Anderson to put the 'Dogs up 5-3 with 3:50 remaining in the period. The teams traded goals in the final minute of the period with Simshauser scoring on an extra-attacker opportunity. Fresno State led 6-4 at the half.
The teams traded goals to open the third quarter with four total goals scored in the first three and a half minutes of play. Stanford gained some momentum, scoring two in a row to tie the game at eight with 1:42 left in the third quarter. Simshauser gave the Bulldogs the advantage with a score at the 59 second mark. Nieto Jasny grabbed a steal to keep possession with the Bulldogs before the buzzer.
Four total goals were scored in the fourth quarter. Stanford tied it again, but Kaitlin Howarth found Hailey Andress on the 'Dogs next possession to put Fresno State ahead at the six minute mark. The teams traded turnovers before Andress would net her second at the 2:03 mark to put Fresno State ahead, 11-9. The Cardinal's Sophia Sanders netted one on a powerplay opportunity at the 1:36 mark. Fresno State was unable to make anything work in its next possession, and Stanford called a timeout to set something up with one minute left in regulation. Susanna Martinez played strong defense for the Bulldogs in the Cardinal's final possession, blocking their final shot attempt on goal.
Fresno State fired off more shots (29-24) than the Cardinal and took advantage of five 6-on-5 situations.
How it happened vs No. 18 San Jose State
Abbey Simshauser scored the only goal of the first quarter on a powerplay at the 6:36 mark. Paula Nieto Jasny notched a pair of saves in the period, but the beginning of the game proved to be a defensive battle again by both teams.
The teams got settled in during the second, both scoring three apiece. Brooke Ochoa got the offense moving, finding Cynthia Rosa for the 6-on-5 score. SJSU scored their first goal of the game at the 6:32 mark in the second, closing the score to 2-1 in favor of the 'Dogs. SJSU tied the game at two, then the 'Dogs scored two in-a-row from Ochoa and Elisa Grim to regain the lead. The Spartans added one more on a powerplay before the buzzer to make it a 4-3 game at the half.
Rosa won her third sprint of the game, and the Bulldogs fired away with a goal by Hailey Andress at the 6:50 mark. Ashley Williams drew an exclusion, and the Bulldogs called a timeout to game plan. Once live again, Ochoa found Grim to extend the lead. Fresno State scored a pair more, and Nieto Jasny added a third before the buzzer as she fired it in from up top.
Andress and Kaitlin Howarth scored goals for the 'Dogs in the fourth quarter. Kelly Villanueva came in, in relief for Nieto Jasny, and recorded a save and a steal.
The Bulldogs outshot the Spartans 28-23 and had a .393 shooting percentage.
Notable
Fresno State defeated Stanford for the first time in program history on Sunday. The Bulldogs were 0-6 in the series.
Fresno State defeated a top-ranked team for the first time in program history with its win over Stanford.
Fresno State opens its season 4-0 for the first time in program history.
Fresno State defeated all ranked opponents, with no opponent being ranked lower than No. 18.
Fresno State defeated four ranked opponents consecutively for the first time in program history.
Junior Brooke Ochoa is just one goal shy of her 100th career goal.
Ukp Next
No. 9 Fresno State heads to the Island for the Hawaii Invitational where it will face Azusa Pacific, Princeton and Hawaii on Jan. 26-27 in Honolulu.