THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.— Cal Lutheran women's water polo went 3-0 on Saturday to cap off the Tina Finali Memorial Invitational. The tournament featured many great moments as the Regals defeated Fresno Pacific (16-11), Long Island (11-10) and Lindenwood…
CLU moved to 5-3, knocking off Division I (Long Island) and D-II (Fresno Pacific) opponents. The games had plenty to talk about as Jessica Diaz scored the game winner with 9 seconds left against Long Island, Kim Reidel scored five goals Fresno Pacific and the perfect day was complete after the win over Lindenwood.
CLU vs. FPU
The Regals started the day with the Sunbirds and Reidel impressed as she scored a game-high five goals. CLU shared the wealth as eight Regals scored, with Diaz being next with a hat trick.
Cal Lutheran moved the ball around well as seven players dished out at least one assist. Mackenzie Thomas had the most with three and Kaitlin Gardhouse, Victoria Rose Meek and Diaz each added two.
Taryn Sato was in the cage and recorded nine saves. The defense had her back as Gardhouse, Lexi Rond and Diaz tallied two steals.
The score remained close early on and was tied at 3 at the end of the first quarter. It was just a one-point game at the half as CLU took a 6-5 lead. The Regals turned it on in the second half, outscoring the Sunbirds 5-3 in each quarter, and won the contest 16-11. The Regals defeated the Division II opponent for the second straight week.
CLU vs. Long Island
Rond tallied a hat trick to lead the offense and Gardhouse and Diaz added two goals each. Great ball movement allowed seven Regals to find the back of the net and Reidel, Gardhouse and Christin Hirn all dished out two assists. Defensively, Gardhouse tallied three steals and Sato made five blocks.
Long Island led for most of the first half. After being down 4-2 in the second, the Regals wouldn't back down from the Division I opponent and tied the game at 4. Long Island took an even bigger lead in the third quarter, 7-4 and then 8-5, as the Regals roared back again. The Regals scored the final three goals of the quarter and the game was tied at 8, heading to the fourth.
The Sharks started the quarter with two goals and CLU answered with two of its own. The score was tied from the five minute mark all the way to 41 seconds left. The Sharks were awarded a five-meter penalty, but missed, and the Regals had a chance to win.
After a timeout, the Regals set up a play. With nine seconds left, Diaz lofted the ball up over the goalkeeper for the game winner. The defense held on as Sato made the final save and the Regals pulled off a big win.
CLU vs. Lindenwood
Cal Lutheran continued to get many Regals involved as Meek, Reidel and Rond all led the way with two goals each. Koe and Kemi Dijkstra dished out two assists each and Meek drew three ejections. For the defense, 10 different Regals recorded at least a steal, while Sato made six saves in goal.
The Regals looked for three wins on the day as they capped off the invite with the Lions. Cal Lutheran jumped out to a 3-0 in the first five minutes, but Lindenwood's defense turned it on after that.
The Lions fought back, and it was just a one-point game, 4-3 at the half. The Regals busted open the game in the third, scoring the first four goals and took an 8-3 lead. Lindenwood answered with one goal and the Regals took a four-goal lead to the fourth. The Regals closed out the game and won 10-6, as they went a perfect 3-0 on the day.
The Regals hit the road and travel to the Indiana Hoosiers Tournament next weekend. Cal Lutheran starts the tournament on Saturday, March 7, with Mckendree at 9 a.m. PST.
Box Score: CLU 16, FPU 11; CLU 11, LIU 10; CLU 10, LU 6
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
