Women’s Water Polo Opens Conference Play With 11-6 Win Over UC Santa Barbara

Saturday, March 1

Long Beach, Calif.

Noon

Long Beach State University

8-8

UC Santa Barbara

13-8

UC Santa Barbara

Long Beach State

Photo by: Luiza Moraes

Women’s Water Polo Opens Conference Play With 11-6 Win Over UC Santa Barbara

3/1/2025 2:20:00 PM | Women's Water Polo

Box Score

Martina Cardona and Chiara Amoroso each scored three goals for Long Beach State.

By: Roger Kirk, Associate Athletics Director, Communications & Broadcast

LONG BEACH, Calif. – In their first game of Big West play, No. 6 Long Beach State put on a complete performance, pulling out to an early lead and never looking back in an 11-6 victory over No. 16 UC Santa Barbara at the Ken Lindgren Aquatics Center.

UC Santa Barbara (13-8, 0-1 Big West) scored first as Bella Mady got the Gauchos on the board in the first minute, but a stifling defensive effort in the first half quickly turned the momentum towards Long Beach State (8-8, 1-0 Big West). Elisa Portillo buried a penalty shot to even the score, and then Gaby Patenaude pushed the Beach in front 2-1. The Beach then beat the clock, finding Jermonie Billingsly in front of the cage with two seconds left in the first quarter to take a 3-0 lead.

After holding the Gauchos off the board in the final seven minutes of the first, the Beach kept UCSB scoreless again in the second while extending their lead. The two leading goal scorers each got their first in the second, as Cardona cashed in an opportunity on the advantage, and Amoroso scored her first to make the score 5-1 going into the half.

The offenses got going more in the third, but the LBSU cushion established in the first half was never threatened. Cardona pushed the lead to five with her second goal, where the lead would sit after the second and the teams both scored two goals each in the fourth quarter, with Jamie Oberman joining the scoresheet while the Gauchos scored the final goal of the game with 5:18 remaining as the Beach held defensively for the win.

Goaltender Chelsea Oliver finished with nine saves as the veteran keeper now has over 100 saves on the year.

Long Beach State will play a non-conference home game next, hosting St. Francis on Wednesday, March 5 before resuming Big West play on the road Saturday, March 8 at Cal State Fullerton.