Long Beach State University Athletics
Polo to Play Two This Weekend; Host ASU Sunday
3/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
March 6, 2008
LONG BEACH--Long Beach State women's water polo (7-8, 2-2 MPSF) will play a pair of conference matches this weekend, traveling to CS Northridge (4-8, 0-2 MPSF) at noon on Saturday, before returning home to face No. 10-ranked Arizona State (11-8, 1-3 MPSF) on Sunday at noon.
The Matadors have lost eight of nine, while ASU has gone 3-2 over its last five.
The 49ers are coming off a 1-2 weekend in Northern California, as they lost to top-10 California, currently fifth in the MPSF, and UC Davis, who is also ranked in the top-10. The 49ers enter the week tied for sixth place.
Senior Dayna Wawrzynski has matched her career goal total, in her final season, scoring a team-best 23 goals this season. The senior out of Garden Grove has had a resurgence during her final season, shooting 47 percent from the pool and has started nine of 12 games. From a water polo family, both her father, brother and sister were members of the 49er water polo program. Wawrzynski also ranks 23rd nationally in overall goals.
Sophomore Cecilia Canetti has 20 goals this season, as one of three members of the team on national team programs. Canetti, who was an MPSF All-Freshman pick last year, is hitting 32 percent of her shots. Canetti joins freshmen Meaghan Leonard (Canada's junior program) and Lauren Sieprath (New Zealand senior program) as 49ers with international experience. Cecilia, and her sister Marina, a former 49er herself, are on the Brazilian Senior National Team. All told, LBSU has nine national team members who have worn the black and gold at one time or the other.
Sieprath, who missed the first weekend, is third on the team in scoring, while sophomore Branywn Lee is fourth in a balanced scoring attack. Lee has been the first person off the bench this season, at 2-meter, shooting 49 percent, while Sieprath has a team-best nine assists, despite playing in two less games.
Leonard has helped the 49ers in 6-on-5 opportunities this season, posting a season-best 26 earned ejections. Senior Brittany Thornback, despite no goals this season, has a team-best 11 steals.
Freshmen Kristen Stragier continues to be the team's starting goalie this season. She has 126 saves so far this season, which ranks her eighth nationally.
A young 49er team, five of the team's seven starters are underclassmen, led by Leonard, Sieprath, Stragier, Canetti and Kelise Emerick.
Catharine von Schwarz is in her second year at the helm after finishing eighth at the MPSF Championships last season.
