LOS ANGELES ? Looking for a first round win to secure a top four finish at the 2008 Western Water Polo Association Championships, No. 4 seeded CSUB was unable to find the offensive firepower to overcome a 6-2 first-half deficit, falling 7-3 to No. 5 seeded Santa Clara Friday at the Burns Recreation & Aquatics Center on the campus of Loyola Marymount University.
The Roadrunners (18-17 overall), face the loser of Friday's match between No. 1 UC Davis and No. 8 Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday at 1 p.m. A win in that match would allow the ?Runners to contend for fifth, while a loss would put them in the seventh place match.
Bakersfield struck first when WWPA Player of the Year Amanda Ortiz made good on a penalty shot following a 5-meter ejection at the 4:38 mark of the first quarter. But the Broncos (19-11 overall) responded 20 seconds later with a goal by Christie Miller, then added a goal by Jenny Knutson at 1:50 to hold a 2-1 lead at the end of the quarter.
Santa Clara then surged in the second quarter, outscoring the ?Runners 4-1 to take a four-point advantage into the break. The Broncos added just one more score in the second half, but Bakersfield managed just one more goal as well, never able to cut into the deficit.
"It was a frustrating game," said CSUB Head Coach Jason Gall. "(Santa Clara) made some nice adjustments and did a good job exposing our weaknesses."
Ortiz, who entered the game averaging 3.4 goals per game was held to just the one penalty score while Jessica Manke and C.J. Longeuay tallied CSUB's other goals. Meanwhile, seven different Broncos found the back of the net for Santa Clara. In goal, CSUB keeper Veronica Campbell made 10 saves.
"Veronica played really well and blocked everything she was supposed to block," said Gall. "We still have a chance to finish the season with 20 wins so we need to bounce back tomorrow."
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final |
| CSU Bakersfield (18-17) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Santa Clara (19-11) | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
Goals
CSUB: Amanda Ortiz (1), Jessica Manke (1), C.J. Longeuay (1)
SANTA CLARA: Alli Lamb (1), Emily Bonk (1), Jenny Knotson (1), Meg Zimmerman (1), Elizabeth Perry (1), Christie Miller (1), Brianna Anderson (1)
