Saturday, April 8
Long Beach, Calif.
7 p.m.
Long Beach State University
16-6, 4-1
12
vs
6
UC Santa Barbara
17-9, 1-4
1
2
3
4
F
UC Santa Barbara
1
2
2
1
6
Long Beach State
0
2
5
5
12
Photo by: John Fajardo
Second Half Surge Propels No. 7 Women’s Water Polo Past UC Santa Barbara on Senior Night
4/8/2023 10:02:00 PM | Women's Water Polo
The Beach outscored UCSB 10-3 in the second half enroute to a 12-6 victory.
LONG BEACH, Calif—After being held to two goals in the first half, Long Beach State came out firing in the second half to beat No. 11 UC Santa Barbara 12-6 on Saturday. Elisa Portillo led the Beach with four goals, as Martina Cardona and Anne de Kleer each had three goals and Gabriella Matafora-Adams had two goals.
Strong defenses were on display early for both teams, as the game was deadlocked at zero until the Gauchos got on the board with 1:48 left in the first quarter. The Beach managed to get a few looks at goal but were stymied by the UC Santa Barbara goalkeeper and had multiple shots hit the post.
The second quarter was once again defined by the defensive efforts from both teams. Anne de Kleer and Elisa Portillo would find the back of the net for the Beach, but two more goals from UC Santa Barbara allowed them to maintain a one-goal lead. Chelsea Oliver's seven first half save were crucial to keeping the game close, as Long Beach State looked to gain momentum for the second half.
The Beach came storming out of the break as de Kleer and Cardona both scored to give Long Beach State their first lead of the game. UC Santa Barbara would tie the game, but Long Beach State would capitalize on Gaucho exclusions as de Kleer and Cardona would score three more goals to give the Beach a 7-5 lead after three quarters.
Feeding off the strong third quarter, Elisa Portillo took over in the fourth. The sophomore scored two goals, causing the Gauchos to replace their goalkeeper with a field player. Shortly after, Portillo completed her hat-trick with a five-meter penalty, and Gabriella Matafora-Adams capped off the night with two empty net goals.
Chelsea Oliver continued her excellent game with six more saves in the second half, finishing with 13 on the night. The Beach also had five steals, with Jamie Oberman grabbing two to lead the team.
After the game, Long Beach State said their goodbyes to seniors Katie Dill, Inbar Geva, Gabriella Matafora-Adams, Sierra May, Aliki Patra, and Rachel Westphal.
The Beach (16-6, 4-1) will continue Big West play on Saturday April 15, as they head to UC Davis to take on the Aggies at noon.
Strong defenses were on display early for both teams, as the game was deadlocked at zero until the Gauchos got on the board with 1:48 left in the first quarter. The Beach managed to get a few looks at goal but were stymied by the UC Santa Barbara goalkeeper and had multiple shots hit the post.
The second quarter was once again defined by the defensive efforts from both teams. Anne de Kleer and Elisa Portillo would find the back of the net for the Beach, but two more goals from UC Santa Barbara allowed them to maintain a one-goal lead. Chelsea Oliver's seven first half save were crucial to keeping the game close, as Long Beach State looked to gain momentum for the second half.
The Beach came storming out of the break as de Kleer and Cardona both scored to give Long Beach State their first lead of the game. UC Santa Barbara would tie the game, but Long Beach State would capitalize on Gaucho exclusions as de Kleer and Cardona would score three more goals to give the Beach a 7-5 lead after three quarters.
Feeding off the strong third quarter, Elisa Portillo took over in the fourth. The sophomore scored two goals, causing the Gauchos to replace their goalkeeper with a field player. Shortly after, Portillo completed her hat-trick with a five-meter penalty, and Gabriella Matafora-Adams capped off the night with two empty net goals.
Chelsea Oliver continued her excellent game with six more saves in the second half, finishing with 13 on the night. The Beach also had five steals, with Jamie Oberman grabbing two to lead the team.
After the game, Long Beach State said their goodbyes to seniors Katie Dill, Inbar Geva, Gabriella Matafora-Adams, Sierra May, Aliki Patra, and Rachel Westphal.
The Beach (16-6, 4-1) will continue Big West play on Saturday April 15, as they head to UC Davis to take on the Aggies at noon.
Team Stats
UCSB
LBSU
Shots
29
36
Goals
6
12
Assists
2
5
Points
8
17
Exclusions
13
13
Steals
1
5
Sprints
2
2
1
Nina Munson
1:48
2
Annie Kuester
5:52
Anne de Kleer
4:07
Caitlyn Snyder
1:12
Elisa Portillo
0:46
3
Anne de Kleer
6:14
Martina Cardona
4:00
Cami Mras
3:27
Martina Cardona
2:48
Anne de Kleer
1:48
Juju Amaral
0:27
Martina Cardona
0:05
4
Elisa Portillo
5:48
Delaney Palmer
5:18
Elisa Portillo
2:02
Elisa Portillo
0:46
Gabriella Matafora-Adams
0:28
Gabriella Matafora-Adams
0:12
Game Leaders
Shots
7
Goals
3
Assists
1
Points
4
Shots
7
Goals
3
Assists
1
Points
4
Shots
6
Goals
4
Assists
0
Points
4
Shots
5
Goals
2
Assists
2
Points
4
Players Mentioned
Attacker
/ Women's Water PoloUtility
/ Women's Water Polo
Defender
/ Women's Water Polo
Goalie
/ Women's Water PoloAttacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Defender
/ Women's Water Polo
Goalie
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
/ Women's Water PoloAttacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
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