Thursday, April 17
Irvine, Calif.
7 p.m.
Long Beach State University
at
UC Irvine
Photo by: Luiza Moraes
Women’s Water Polo Closes Regular Season With The Black And Blue Rivalry Game
4/16/2025 9:30:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
Long Beach State will face UC Irvine for the third time in the season.
LONG BEACH, Calif. – No. 6 Long Beach State faces No. 7 UC Irvine for the final game of the regular season with the second seed at the Big West Championships on the line. Both teams are tied for second in the league standings as the Black and Blue Rivalry Game will mark the third encounter between both teams in the season and confirm their opponents for the conference tournament.
The last time both teams faced each other was during the Barbara Kalbus Invitational hosted by the 'Eaters in February. In that occasion the Beach took the win, 14-13 in overtime, after a stellar performance by junior Elisa Portillo netting a career-high of seven goals including the game winner. Earlier in the season, UCI came on top with a 15-12 win for the Triton Invite in La Jolla, Calif.
Long Beach State (14-10, 5-1 Big West) had a bye week after defeating No. 16 UC Davis on the road, 10-7. Against the Aggies, the Beach saw eight different players scoring as well as goalkeeper Chelsea Oliver posting a career-high of 16 saves to hold off UCD. Oliver currently ranks first in the Big West in saves percentage (48.8%) and sits in third in saves made in the season, with 184. Martina Cardona and Elisa Portillo lead the Beach offense with 59 and 57 goals, respectively. Freshman Rita Gurri Capel ranks third in the team with 32 goals while Portillo has a team-high of 36 assists.
UC Irvine (14-11, 5-1 Big West) traveled to Northen California to face the Aggies and No. 5 California. The Anteaters defeated UC Davis, 17-13 and fell 20-10 against the Bears. Libby Alexander and Brooke Hourigan added four goals each on the Big West match up against UCD to lead UCI on the weekend. Lauren Hett has a team-high of 48 goals in the year followed by Nioka Thomas with 40. Rachel Kirchner and Ella Walker combine 155 saves to help the 'Eaters defense.
First sprint for the Black and Blue Rivalry game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+ and live stats can be followed through thefosh.net.
The last time both teams faced each other was during the Barbara Kalbus Invitational hosted by the 'Eaters in February. In that occasion the Beach took the win, 14-13 in overtime, after a stellar performance by junior Elisa Portillo netting a career-high of seven goals including the game winner. Earlier in the season, UCI came on top with a 15-12 win for the Triton Invite in La Jolla, Calif.
Long Beach State (14-10, 5-1 Big West) had a bye week after defeating No. 16 UC Davis on the road, 10-7. Against the Aggies, the Beach saw eight different players scoring as well as goalkeeper Chelsea Oliver posting a career-high of 16 saves to hold off UCD. Oliver currently ranks first in the Big West in saves percentage (48.8%) and sits in third in saves made in the season, with 184. Martina Cardona and Elisa Portillo lead the Beach offense with 59 and 57 goals, respectively. Freshman Rita Gurri Capel ranks third in the team with 32 goals while Portillo has a team-high of 36 assists.
UC Irvine (14-11, 5-1 Big West) traveled to Northen California to face the Aggies and No. 5 California. The Anteaters defeated UC Davis, 17-13 and fell 20-10 against the Bears. Libby Alexander and Brooke Hourigan added four goals each on the Big West match up against UCD to lead UCI on the weekend. Lauren Hett has a team-high of 48 goals in the year followed by Nioka Thomas with 40. Rachel Kirchner and Ella Walker combine 155 saves to help the 'Eaters defense.
First sprint for the Black and Blue Rivalry game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+ and live stats can be followed through thefosh.net.
Players Mentioned
Attacker
/ Women's Water Polo
Defender
/ Women's Water Polo
Goalie
/ Women's Water Polo
Attacker
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