NORTHRIDGE, Calif.— The Long Island University women's water polo team travels out west for a four-game weekend against nationally ranked opponents in California.
The Sharks kick off the weekend on Saturday, February 29 at 6:00 p.m. eastern at No. 20 CSUN before traveling across town to California Lutheran, the top ranked team in the CWPA DIII poll. LIU caps the trip in San Diego on Sunday with matchups against No. 10 UC San Diego and No. 2 Stanford.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
LIU at CSUN
Saturday, February 29 | 6:00 p.m. ET
LIU at Cal Lutheran
Saturday, February 29 | 9:45 p.m. ET
LIU at UC San Diego
Sunday, March 1 | 4:00 p.m. ET
LIU vs. Stanford
Sunday, March 1 | 7:00 p.m. ET
NOTES ON THE SHARKS
LIU went 1-1 at the Courtney Fisher Invite last Saturday at McCann natatorium. The Sharks opened the day with a 9-8 win over Siena before falling to tournament host, Marist 16-8 in the nightcap.
Freshman
Kate Hinrichs led LIU with 10 points on six goals and four assists. She was named MAAC Rookie of the Week for her performance. Hinrichs opened the tournament with three goals, four assists and three steals leading LIU to a 9-8 win over Siena. She later added three more goals against No. 24 Marist.
Freshman
Jessica Dean added three goals and four assists last weekend. Rookie
Jeannet Garcia also totaled four assists in two matches. Freshman
Rebecca Ansell registered 10 saves in goal for LIU.
SCOUTING THE MATADORS
Cal State Northridge (CSUN) comes into the weekend on a five-game winning streak and a 12-4 record on the season.
The Matadors offense is paced by three scorers with 20-plus goals on the season. Katia And on-Mateos leads the team in points with 27 goals and has added 20 assists. Tori Wilson has registered 23 goals along with 23 assists. Hellen Sandhagen has added 20 goals for the CSUN offense.
In goal, Meghan Lopez leads the team with a 10.09 saves per game average, stopping 94 shots in 11 matches this season.
SCOUTING THE REGALS
Cal Lutheran has been ranked atop the CWPA DIII top-10 for since that preseason poll was announced back in January. After a 21-9 record last season the Regals are off to a 2-2 start in 2020.
The team is led by Lexi Rond who garnered All-American First Team honors last season as a freshman. Rond led Cal Lutheran with 59 goals and 112 drawn ejections. 2019 honorable mention All-American, Victoria Rose Meek also headlines the returning players for the Regals. She totaled 43 drawn ejections, 29 goals and 16 steals last season.
SCOUTING THE TRITONS
UC San Diego comes into the weekend with an 11-5 record on the season and ranked 10th in the CWPA top-25. The Tritons will take on CSUN and Stanford before ending the weekend against the Sharks.
Taylor Onstott has led the team offensively, posting 46 points on 31 goals and 15 assists. Ciara Franke has recorded a team-high 32 goals on a .571 shot percentage. Grace Pevehouse has added 29 goals and Tera Richardson is UC San Diego's leading distributor with 17 assists.
Bennett Bugelli has posted 110 saves in 13 games in the cage for the Tritons.
SCOUTING THE CARDINAL
Stanford is coming off a national championship season in 2019 and is ranked second in the CWPA Top-25. The team is off to a 12-1 start this season, with its lone loss coming against No. 1 USC last weekend.
The Cardinal offense is led by Sarah Klass, who earned honorable mention All-American honors a season ago. The junior leads the team with 39 goals on the year. Madison Stamen has contributed 21 goals and Hannah Constandse has added 18 goals in 2020.
2019 second-team All-American Emalia Eichelberger has totaled 84 saves in goal for Stanford with a 8.00 goals against average.
UP NEXT
LIU concludes its tournament slate and non-conference play next weekend at the Harvard Invite. Competition begins on Saturday, March 7 against Harvard and Connecticut College.
