LA JOLLA, Calif. — If one thing is clear less than two weeks into Cal State Bakersfield's 2007 water polo season, it is this: No one will be able to claim that the Roadrunners are ducking any opponents.

Four of Bakersfield's first five opponents have been nationally-ranked, but on the first day of the Triton Invitational in La Jolla, Calif. on Saturday, the Roadrunners dropped both matches in close ones, losing to No. 7 UC Irvine 13-11 before falling 9-8 to No. 15 Long Beach State.

The Roadrunners earned their No. 19 national ranking last week when they knocked off then No. 19 Cal State Northridge, and nearly had two more upsets on Saturday.

In the opener against No. 7 Irvine, Bakersfield led 2-1 after the first period and was tied 5-5 at the half. Despite falling behind by two at the end of three periods, the Roadrunners battled back to 11-11 with 5:03 remaining in the match on a pair of goals by Yulia Blinovsaya.

But the Anteater defense kept Bakersfield scoreless the rest of the way and Jackie Prine scored twice down the stretch for the narrow victory.

Blinovskaya led all players with five goals, while Amanda Ortiz added four and Neshmil Ariy and Paola Medina scored once apiece.

Game two couldn't have been any closer. Each team scored twice in each of the first three periods to make the score 6-6 heading into the final quarter. But with the score tied at 8-8, Long Beach State scored the game-winner with 1:12 to go in the game to ward off Bakersfield's upset attempts.

Blinovskaya once again led Bakersfield with three goals, while Medina scored twice, and Ortiz, Ariy and Bori Toth added one goal apiece.

Bakersfield continues in the Triton Invitational Sunday morning with an 8 a.m. matchup with the University of Maryland.


No. 7 UC Irvine 13, No. 19 Cal State Bakersfield 11

Team                1    2    3    4    Final
UC Irvine (3-0)            1    4    5    3    13
CS Bakersfield (2-2)        2    3    3    3    11

Goals
UCI – Jackie Prine 4, Alli Russell 2, Nikki Frish, Robyn Kaake, Kat Plummer, Erin Kienne, Julia Fancher, Jessica Lewis, Sarah Frost
CSUB – Yulia Blinovskaya 5, Amanda Ortiz 4, Neshmil Ariy, Paola Medina



No. 15 Long Beach State 9, No. 19 Cal State Bakersfield 8

Team                1    2    3    4    Final
Long Beach State (1-1)        2    2    2    3    9
CS Bakersfield (2-3)        2    2    2    2    8

Goals
LBSU – Christina Wensman 3, Marina Canetti 3, Cecelia Canetti 2, Megan Winchell
CSUB – Yulia Blinovskaya 3, Paola Medina 2, Amanda Ortiz, Neshmil Ariy, Bori Toth