THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.—The CSU Bakersfield water polo team extended its winning streak to eight with a pair of wins on day one of the Cal Lutheran Tina Finali Invitational Friday.
The Roadrunners defeated Villanova 11-5 in the tournament opener. CSUB led 6-5 after three quarters, but a 5-0 fourth put the game away. Nicola Barrett (R-So., Cape Town, South Africa, Rustenburg HS) scored four goals.
Kristen Jensen (So., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Los Osos HS) and Janelle Shelby (Sr., San Diego, Calif., Grossmont HS) both posted three goals while Katie Benson (So., La Crescenta, Calif., Crescenta Valley HS) made four steals. CSUB goalies Courtney Wahlstrom (So., Palm Desert, Calif., Palm Desert HS) and Brittany Tyra (Jr., Grass Valley, Calif., Sierra College) combined for 15 saves.
“I thought we came out with good intensity but missed a lot of early scoring opportunities,” said CSUB head coach Jason Gall. “We had 35 attempts, most of which were counters, so our offensive efficiency really needs to improve. Bridgette and Katie played great two-meter defense. Nicola did a nice job keeping us in the game with some early goals.”
11 different Roadrunners scored as CSUB defeated La Verne 21-7 to conclude day one. The 21 goals were the most in a match for CSUB since Jan. 24, 2009 when the Roadrunners defeated Azusa Pacific 21-4. Freshman Ashley Paz (Upland, Calif., Upland HS) scored a game high seven goals for the 'Runners. Tancy Aldridge (So., Lompoc, Calif., Cabrillo HS) posted four goals while Shelby had two goals and three assists.
Niki De Leon (Jr., Montebello, Calif., Montebello HS) had three assists while Gabby Wiltse (Fr., Gig Harbor, Wash., Peninsula HS) made three steals. Wahlstrom and Tyra combined for 12 saves.
“Our offensive efficiency definitely improved from this morning,” Gall said. “It was nice to see everyone getting in the scoring column.”
CSUB will look to keep the winning streak alive on Saturday when the Roadrunners face No. 20 Santa Clara at 11:30 a.m. at Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village. The Roadrunners return to the CLU pool at 3:15 p.m. to take on the host Regals. CSU Bakersfield opens home action Mar. 7 against Arizona State at 1 p.m. Admission is free to the Hillman Aquatics Complex.
~www.GoRunners.com~
GAME 1
CSUB 2 2 2 5 11
Villanova 3 0 2 0 5
CSUB Goals-Barrett 4, Jensen 3, Shelby 3, Paulson 1
VU Goals-Not provided
CSUB Saves-Wahlstrom 8, Tyra 7
VU Saves-Not provided
GAME 2
CSUB 4 7 3 7 21
La Verne 1 3 3 0 7
CSUB Goals-Paz 7, Aldridge 4, Shelby 2, Wiltse 1, Ream 1, Helberg 1, Souza 1, Paulson 1, De Leon 1, Barrett 1, Jensen 1.
ULV Goals-Not Provided
CSUB Saves-Tyra 6, Wahlstrom 6
ULV Goals-Not Provided
