Saturday, April 15
Davis, Calif.
12:00 p.m.
Long Beach State University
16-6
13
at
12
UC Davis
15-11
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4
OT
OT
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Long Beach State
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5
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UC Davis
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Photo by: John Fajardo
No. 6 Long Beach State Completes Comeback in Dramatic OT Win Over UC Davis
4/15/2023 2:12:00 PM | Women's Water Polo
Mariah Walker scored the game winner with five seconds remaining in OT.
DAVIS, Calif— The Beach women's water polo team (17-6, 5-1) produced one the gutsiest performances of the season, as they defeated No. 12 UC Davis 13-12 in overtime on Saturday. Elisa Portillo led the Beach with four goals, but Mariah Walker netted the winner with five seconds remaining in overtime to win it for the Beach.
UC Davis (15-12, 3-3) jumped out to an early lead, taking advantage of a Long Beach State exclusion. Jamie Oberman leveled the score with a long-range effort that found the back of the net, but the Aggies would go on to score three more goals. UC Davis turned up their defensive effort, holding the Beach scoreless for the remainder of the quarter, as Long Beach State would hit the post on three separate occasions.
After Long Beach State was unable to grab the rebound after stopping an early six-on-five, UC Davis scored another early goal which extended their lead to 5-1. Goals from Lara Luka and Elisa Portillo would cut the deficit to two goals, but UC Davis would score another keeping the lead at three goals. However, Anne de Kleer's five-meter penalty goal made the score 6-4 headed into halftime.
The Beach got off a quick start in the second half behind a Gabriella Matafora-Adams goal which brought Long Beach State within one goal. After UC Davis scored a goal in transition, Lara Luka converted a five-meter penalty to make the score 7-6. The Aggies would capitalize on another Long Beach State exclusion, but Portillo scored her second of the game after Mariah Walker drew the third five-meter penalty of the day for the Beach. Long Beach State gathered the momentum as Martina Cardona would equalize, and Walker put the Beach ahead with a goal shortly after. Chelsea Oliver came up with two huge saves to keep the lead, but UC Davis would find the back of the net late in the quarter to tie the game 9-9.
The Beach had opportunities early in the fourth quarter but were unable to capitalize as they forced the UC Davis goalkeeper into multiple saves and hit the post twice. However, Long Beach State turned up the defensive pressure, shutting down the Aggies offense. UC Davis was the first to breakthrough in the quarter, breaking the deadlock with 2:41 left in the game. Long Beach State would respond quickly after, as a scramble in front of goal allowed Rachael Kowalchick to even the score at 10-10. A late exclusion gave UC Davis the six-on-five advantage, but Chelsea Oliver came up with another massive save to keep the game level. The Aggies retained possession with a corner throw and put in a field player in place of their goalkeeper in hopes of ending the game, but the Beach defense shut things down, sending the game to overtime.
The first overtime period was tense, as both teams played strong defense. Elisa Portillo put the Beach back on top 11-10 after turning her defender and firing into goal. UC Davis evened the score early in the second overtime period, but Portillo would convert yet another five-meter penalty to put the Beach back on top. A long-range lob shot from the Aggies tied the game at 12-12 with 1:12 left in the game. After failing to capitalize on a six-on-five penalty, UC Davis looked to breakaway, but Gabriella Matafora-Adams recovered nicely to force a huge turnover. The Beach would take the ball down to the other end of the pool where they drew an exclusion. Mariah Walker made sure to make the most out of the advantage, as her goal put Long Beach State up 13-12 with five seconds remaining in the game. Once again, the Beach defense locked in and forced an errant shot, helping them come away with the win.
Long Beach State will conclude the regular season with a game at UC Irvine next Saturday, April 22 at 7 p.m. before heading to Santa Barbara for the Big West Championships.
UC Davis (15-12, 3-3) jumped out to an early lead, taking advantage of a Long Beach State exclusion. Jamie Oberman leveled the score with a long-range effort that found the back of the net, but the Aggies would go on to score three more goals. UC Davis turned up their defensive effort, holding the Beach scoreless for the remainder of the quarter, as Long Beach State would hit the post on three separate occasions.
After Long Beach State was unable to grab the rebound after stopping an early six-on-five, UC Davis scored another early goal which extended their lead to 5-1. Goals from Lara Luka and Elisa Portillo would cut the deficit to two goals, but UC Davis would score another keeping the lead at three goals. However, Anne de Kleer's five-meter penalty goal made the score 6-4 headed into halftime.
The Beach got off a quick start in the second half behind a Gabriella Matafora-Adams goal which brought Long Beach State within one goal. After UC Davis scored a goal in transition, Lara Luka converted a five-meter penalty to make the score 7-6. The Aggies would capitalize on another Long Beach State exclusion, but Portillo scored her second of the game after Mariah Walker drew the third five-meter penalty of the day for the Beach. Long Beach State gathered the momentum as Martina Cardona would equalize, and Walker put the Beach ahead with a goal shortly after. Chelsea Oliver came up with two huge saves to keep the lead, but UC Davis would find the back of the net late in the quarter to tie the game 9-9.
The Beach had opportunities early in the fourth quarter but were unable to capitalize as they forced the UC Davis goalkeeper into multiple saves and hit the post twice. However, Long Beach State turned up the defensive pressure, shutting down the Aggies offense. UC Davis was the first to breakthrough in the quarter, breaking the deadlock with 2:41 left in the game. Long Beach State would respond quickly after, as a scramble in front of goal allowed Rachael Kowalchick to even the score at 10-10. A late exclusion gave UC Davis the six-on-five advantage, but Chelsea Oliver came up with another massive save to keep the game level. The Aggies retained possession with a corner throw and put in a field player in place of their goalkeeper in hopes of ending the game, but the Beach defense shut things down, sending the game to overtime.
The first overtime period was tense, as both teams played strong defense. Elisa Portillo put the Beach back on top 11-10 after turning her defender and firing into goal. UC Davis evened the score early in the second overtime period, but Portillo would convert yet another five-meter penalty to put the Beach back on top. A long-range lob shot from the Aggies tied the game at 12-12 with 1:12 left in the game. After failing to capitalize on a six-on-five penalty, UC Davis looked to breakaway, but Gabriella Matafora-Adams recovered nicely to force a huge turnover. The Beach would take the ball down to the other end of the pool where they drew an exclusion. Mariah Walker made sure to make the most out of the advantage, as her goal put Long Beach State up 13-12 with five seconds remaining in the game. Once again, the Beach defense locked in and forced an errant shot, helping them come away with the win.
Long Beach State will conclude the regular season with a game at UC Irvine next Saturday, April 22 at 7 p.m. before heading to Santa Barbara for the Big West Championships.
Team Stats
LBSU
UCD
Shots
39
33
Goals
13
12
Assists
4
7
Points
17
19
Exclusions
11
17
Steals
11
11
Sprints
4
2
1
Alyssa Lengtat
7:14
Jamie Oberman
6:12
Ally Clague
5:41
Ally Clague
4:25
Ashley Salem
0:46
2
Noelle Wijnbelt
7:16
Lara Luka
5:59
Elisa Portillo
3:54
Ashley Salem
2:45
Anne de Kleer
0:28
3
Gabriella Matafora-Adams
7:15
Ally Clague
6:03
Lara Luka
5:16
Kelly Hungerford
3:49
Elisa Portillo
3:32
Martina Cardona
2:57
Mariah Walker
2:23
Grace Pelkey
0:15
4
Alyssa Lengtat
2:41
Rachael Kowalchick
2:19
5
Elisa Portillo
0:08
6
Noelle Wijnbelt
2:35
Elisa Portillo
1:41
Madison Sparre
1:12
Aliki Patra
0:05
Game Leaders
Shots
8
Goals
4
Assists
0
Points
4
Shots
6
Goals
1
Assists
1
Points
2
Shots
4
Goals
1
Assists
0
Points
1
Players Mentioned
Attacker
/ Women's Water PoloUtility
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
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Attacker
/ Women's Water PoloDefender
/ Women's Water Polo
Goalie
/ Women's Water PoloAttacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Center
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