SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The No. 19 women's water polo team faced a tough three-day stretch of games, going 1-2 at the Aggie Shootout and falling at home to No. 17 Wagner. The team is now 12-8 on the season.
Up first, the Broncos faced No. 18 UC Santa Barbara. The Broncos earned three ejections to start the first quarter, but could not convert their opportunities. On their fourth earned ejection, Julia Peters found the back of the net for the first goal of the game, 1-0. The Gauchos followed suit, putting in their first goal shortly after on a man-up play to end the first quarter 1-1.
Elizabeth Anderson came out firing in the second quarter, scoring a goal for the 2-1 lead. The Gauchos tied the game up again at two all, but score another in the final 30 second to take the lead for the first time 3-2.
After battling to start the third quarter, Elle Surber tied the game 3-3 off a man-up opportunity. Off another earned ejection, Peters scored her second goal of the game to regain the leas for the Broncos 4-3. With less than 10 second left in the third quarter the Gauchos were able to get one more goal in to make it 4-4 going into the final quarter.
Ashleigh Bandimere put in a goal to take the 5-4 lead for the Broncos, but it wasn't enough. The Gauchos put in two more goals and finished out the game with the 6-5 win. Bronco goalie Sydni Estrella played a standout game; recording 14 saves against the Gauchos.
For their second game of the day, the Broncos faced Cal State East Bay. Peters scored the first goal, but the Pioneers tied the game up 1-1. With another by Peters and one by
Blair Akerland, the Broncos closed out the first quarter with the 3-1 advantage and never looked back.
The two teams battled more than half of the second quarter before Erin Sheridan broke the silence with a goal, 4-1. The Pioneers put in two goals, bringing themselves back within on, but Surber converted a penalty shot to maintain a two-goal lead going into half.
In the second half of the game, Estrella and the Bronco defense only allowed the Pioneers to score two more goals. With three goals by Peters and one by Sheridan, Bandimere and Surber, the Broncos picked up the 11-5 win over the Pioneers.
On Sunday, the Broncos faced Golden Coast Conference rival, No. 14 Pacific. Though the game was tied four different times, it was the Tigers who controlled much of the game and only allowed five goals by the Broncos.
The Tigers out in the first goal of the game, but Lauren Radich tied the game for the first time 1-1. The Tiger regained a one-goal lead, but Peters took and converted a penalty shot to retie the game two all. The Tigers scored one more to finish out the first quarter with the 3-2 lead.
Both teams stepped up their defensive efforts in the second quarter, and Peters scored the only goal off an earned ejection, 3-3. The Tigers regained the lead in the middle of the third quarter, but Peters out in her third goal to tie the game one last time at four all. The Tigers took off from their, putting in two goals to make it 6-4 going into he fourth.
The Broncos could not make up for lost ground in the fourth quarter; the Tigers went on to score two more goals. Cathy Cantoni put in a final Broncos goal with 30 second left, but the game ended 8-5 Tigers.
On Monday, the Broncos faced No. 17 Wagner at the Sullivan Aquatic Center. However, the home pool advantage was not enough to edge out the Seahawks. The Broncos were only able to score four goals, all coming in the first half of the game; two by Bandimere and one from Peters and Sheridan. The Seahawks closed out the game with the 12-4 win.
