No. 12 Long Beach State women’s water polo team went 2-0 in the San Diego State Mini after securing wins over Cal State Monterey Bay and No. 18 SDSU. Lara Luka led all players on the day with 10 goals. Elisa Portillo followed with six goals of her own.
The Beach came out hot to start their first match of the day against Cal State Monterey Bay after Martina Cardona won the sprint and set up Lara Luka for a quick goal at 7:50. Thirty seconds later, Cardona finds the back of the cage for a goal of her own from Luka to take an early 2-0 lead. Luka followed up her assist with a steal and pass to Cardona for back-to-back goals. The Otters would score their first goal with a man up, but the Beach responded with a goal by Chiara Amoroso and another goal by Luka in the final minute to take a 5-1 lead to end the first quarter.
Both teams exchanged shots to start the second, but a turnover by the Otters led to goals by Luka and Rachael Kowalchick to extend the Beach lead to 7-1. With three more goals by Mariah Walker, Luka, and Elisa Portillo, the Beach lead extends to 10-2 at the end of the second quarter.
The Beach defense starts the second half out strong with four steals in the first three minutes. Luka gets the Beach rolling and finds the back of the cage for her fifth goal of the game during a powerplay at 3:05. Kathryn McCullough followed up by scoring two goals within a minute as the Beach took a 13-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The Otters scored first to start the final quarter after winning the sprint. Ellie Goren would answer back with her first goal of the game to keep a 10-point lead. Luka scored her sixth goal of the game and a blocked shot from goalie, Charly Edler, led to goals from Portillo and Grace Cuozzo, as the Beach increased the lead to 17-6. Hailey Multz sets up Luka for her seventh goal of the game, tying her season high. In the final minute, Amoroso scores her second goal to secure the Beach win 19-7.
The Beach’s second game of the day was against host No. 18 San Diego State. Portillo put the Beach on the scoreboard first with a goal at 7:39. The Aztecs would put in a goal of their own to even the score. The Beach followed Portillo’s early goal with three more from Kowalchick, Amanda Price, and McCullough to take a 4-3 lead at the end of the first.
Cardona won the sprint to start the second quarter which led to an early goal from Walker. McCullough finds the cage for her second goal and Luka scores on the five-meter attempt to extend the Beach lead. In the final minute of the first half, Portillo scored on a powerplay and the Beach took an 8-6 lead heading into halftime.
The Aztecs came out with three straight goals to start the third quarter. The Beach responded with a goal from Cuozzo and Portillo to take a one-point lead. A couple turnovers on both sides lead to the end of the period with the Beach up 10-9.
The Beach offense came out firing to start the final quarter as Walker gets one in the cage in the first 30 seconds. Chelsea Oliver in at goalie with two big saves to lead to another Portillo goal at 5:11. Luka made the score 14-9 after she fired in two goals including a five-meter attempt. The Beach defense stayed strong as they kept the Aztecs scoreless in the final quarter to take the game 14-9.
The Beach will be back in action at home on Tuesday, Feb. 20 as they take on University of Toronto at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ or Beach fans can follow along at thefosh.net.
