THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.— Cal Lutheran women's water polo opened its 2020 season with a tough task as they took on Division I and No. 11 ranked, Fresno State, and Division II foe, Azusa Pacific, on Saturday afternoon at the Fresno State Invite. The Regals fell to Fresno State 20-4 and Azusa Pacific 17-10.
The Regals come into the season as the No. 1 team in Division III and the hard opponents will help prepare for a grinding Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) schedule.
Against Fresno State, junior Elyse Koe led the way with two goals, while senior Victoria Rose Meek and sophomore Kaitlin Gardhouse added one each.
However, the offense struggled against a D1 defense going 1-for-9 in powerplay opportunities and were also 0-for-2 on five-meter penalties. Sophomore Lexi Rond helped put the offense in good positions as she tallied a game high four drawn ejections.
Freshman Taryn Sato got her first collegiate start and was in the cage against the Bulldogs. She made two saves and tallied one steal in her debut. The defense came up with big plays as Gardhouse, Koe and senior Mackenzie Thomas all had two steals.
Versus Azusa Pacific, the Regals kept the game close through the first 12 minutes and it was all tied up at 5. The Cougars took it up the notch during the rest of the half, scoring three straight points, and took a 8-5 lead at the half.
Azusa Pacific picked up in the second half right where it left off in the first. The Cougars opened with three goals, stretching it to six unanswered points. The Regals finally stopped the run with 4:32 left in the third, but APU was up 11-6. The run gave them the distance as the Cougars won the game 17-10.
Leading the way for Cal Lutheran was Rond with 4 goals and Meek and freshman Kim Reidel added two apiece. Sato was in the goal and tallied three saves and one steal.
The Regals continue the invite on Sunday and face Fresno Pacific at 11 a.m.
Box Score: FSU 20, CLU 4; APU 17, CLU 10
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
