SANTA CLARA, Calif. – In their final two home games of the season, the Bronco women's water polo team hosted conference rivals No. 17 Loyola Marymount and Azusa Pacific. The Broncos couldn't top the Lions but ended their season on a high note, defeating the Cougars 14-6.
The Lions started off the game strong, going on a two-goal run. Susan Providenza put in the only goal for the Broncos in the first quarter, 2-1 Lions. The Lions scored two more goals and finished out the quarter with the 4-1 lead.
Lauren Radich came out firing to start the second quarter, bringing the Broncos within two, 4-2. The Lions went on another two-goal run, but the Broncos earned two ejections and Elle Surber scored back-to-back goals. The Lions kept their lead going, scoring two more goals and maintained an 8-4 lead going into half.
Off an earned ejection, the Lions converted their man-up opportunity, 9-4. The Lions stepped up their defensive effort and only allowed one goal by the Broncos that Erin Sheridan scored. The Lions went into the fourth quarter with the 10-5 advantage.
Blair Akerland put in a goal for the Broncos to open up the fourth quarter, but the Lions did not relinquish their lead.
Julia Peters put in a final goal for the Broncos and the Lions left the pool with the 12-7 win.
On Saturday, the Broncos faced off with the Azusa Pacific Cougars. Bandimere led off the scoring in the first quarter, but the Cougars quickly answered. The Broncos then went on a three-goal run with Surber, Sheridan and Peters scoring. The Cougars found some energy at the end of the quarter and scored twice in the last minute. The Broncos finished out the quarter with the 4-3 advantage.
Peters opened up the second quarter with two goals for the Broncos. The Bronco defense, anchored by Sydni Estrella, kept the Cougars from scoring until the last two minutes of the quarter. Peters then answered with her fourth of the day and the Broncos went into halftime up 7-4.
Surber and Sheridan kept the Broncos rolling in the third quarter, each scoring their second of the game. The Cougars struggled to keep up, but scored once to make the score 9-5. Cathy Cantoni fired back and netted her first of the game to make the Bronco lead 10-5 entering the fourth quarter.
The Broncos never looked back in the fourth quarter. Peters netted two goals while Surber put in one of her own, stretching the lead to 13-5. The Cougars scored one more before the end of the game, but Peters snuffed out any chance of a comeback by scoring her seventh goal of the day. The Broncos closed out their regular season on a high note, ending with the 14-6 win.
The Broncos finish the regular season with a 14-13 overall record and were 2-4 in conference play. The Golden Coast Conference Championships, hosted by University of the Pacific, begin on April 23. The Broncos will see rival Loyola Marymount as their first match-up.
