Long Beach State University Athletics
@49erWaterPolo Hosts UC Davis In Big West Match
4/2/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
April 2, 2014
@49ERWATERPOLO HOSTS UC DAVIS IN BIG WEST MATCH
Long Beach State welcome conference foe UC Davis to the Campus Pool on Sunday as it enters the home stretch of the 2014 schedule. Just four matches remain in the regular season over the next three weeks as the 49ers look to build some momentum going into the Big West Tournament. UC Davis goes into the weekend at 11-13 overall and are already 0-2 in Big West action. The Aggies will also take on UC Irvine on Saturday.
PARKS CLOSING IN ON SECOND 50 GOAL SEASON
Senior attacker Chelsea Parks scored another goal last week to bring her season total to 41 goals. With five regular season matches left, along with the Big West Tournament, Parks is on pace to break the 50-goal mark again this season. She finished with 60 goals last year and currently ranks in the top-5 all-time at Long Beach State for scoring. Her 161 career goals are fifth all-time and only five away from the No. 4 spot on the scoring list.
KOTSIA BREAKING OUT AT THE RIGHT TIME
Christina Kotsia has found a groove in the Beach attack as LBSU heads into Big West play. Kotsia has scored in each of the last three matches, including a three-goal effort against No. 19 Hartwick last week. The sophomore missed the first part of the season but seems to be right back to where she was as a freshman. She ranked second on the team as she burst on to the scene with a 50-goal season in her first year at the Beach. She has now scored in six of the last seven matches and has scored multiple times in five of those matches.
BACK TO BACK WINNING SEASONS CLINCHED FOR THE BEACH
Long Beach State needed just one more win to clinch its second winning season in a row and got it with a 10-8 win over No. 19 Hartwick. The Beach now has back to back winning seasons for the first time under head coach Gavin Arroyo, who led the 49ers to a 25-7 record in 2012. In fact, LBSU has not posted above .500 records in back to back seasons since the 2005 and 2006 seasons when it went 21-9 and 15-14, respectively. Arroyo is in his sixth season as the Head Coach of the women's team.
A CLUSTER IN THE WEST
The Big West schedule will be one of the most challenging stretches of the year for Long Beach State over the month of April. All six Big West schools are ranked in the top-20 nationally. As of last week's poll, all six teams are ranked between Nos. 6-16. The Beach already has some familiarity with the new-look conference, playing UC Davis, Cal State Northridge and UC Irvine in nonconference action. The 49ers went 1-2 in those games with the win coming over UC Davis and one of the losses coming in overtime against CSUN.
POSTSEASON AT THE BEACH
The Big West Tournament will take its turn in Long Beach this year with Long Beach State hosting the conference-wide tournament. The tournament to decide the Big West's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament runs Apr. 25-27 in the Campus Pool.
