Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers Close Out Regular Season at Home
4/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
April 16, 2008
LONG BEACH--Long Beach State (15-13, 4-6 MPSF) can move up to the eighth seed in next week's Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship in San Diego with a win against UC Irvine (14-9, 5-6 MPSF) on Thursday under the lights at 7 p.m. The 49ers close out the regular season with No. 3-ranked USC (16-6, 9-2 MPSF) on Sunday at noon. LBSU has won their last four games after a sweep of their own tournament and an upset of No. 4-ranked Hawaii last week.
The 49ers have played the Anteater twice this season, losing 8-5 on the final day of the UC Irvine Tournament in February after losing to UCI in San Diego at the Triton Invite in early February.
USC is the third-highest scoring team in the conference, and the second-best defensive squad. The 49ers are eighth and 10th respectively, paced by three freshmen starters, while UCI checks in at 10th offensively and fifth defensively.
Senior Dayna Wawryznksi now ranks sixth in the MPSF in scoring with 59 goals this season, after being named the MPSF Player of the Week following 16 goals last week. The 59 goals is sixth-best during a single season, as the all-time record in 76, set by All-American Stacy Black in 2000.
Another single-season record will fall, as freshman Kristen Stragier has 243 saves this year, one behind Bri Hawkins 244 in 2005. Stragier has hit four double digits 10 times already this year. The 243 saves is also fifth-best all-time, as she needs just seven more saves to move into the No. 4 slot. Stragier ranks fifth in the MPSF in saves.
Wawrzynksi is now shoot 50 percent from the pool, while Branwyn Lee is coming of the bench with 33 goals and shooting 57 percent. Wawrzyksi's percentage is third-best in a single season, behind Angelica Garcia's .553 clip and Dayna's sister's, Drue's .524 percentage, both in 2004.
Along with Wawryznski, three other seniors will be playing in their final home matches in Rachelle Denaro (11 goals in 26 games), Geraldine Di Tommaso (16 steals and three goals in 26 games) and Brittany Thornback 917 games, 7 goals).
Freshman Lauren Sieprath leads the club in steals (19) and assists (11) this year, while also tallying 36 goals and shooting 32 percent. Freshman Kelsie Emerick, who has played the most minutes on the team, has 25 goals this season.
Freshman Meaghan Leonard has 43 earned ejections this season, while junior Becky Genter has 36.
