Fresno State treks to the Bay for Cal Cup Invitational

FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno State water polo continues its inaugural season as the Bulldogs are set to compete in the Cal Cap Invite beginning on Saturday, its second tournament in as many weekends. The 'Dogs face a tough slate of games, as they will clash with San Jose State, UC Davis, Stanford and host Cal in Berkeley.

"Moving into our second week of competition, we have the opportunity to learn from our first tournament, and gain valuable experience against high-level opponents," head coach Natalie Benson said. "As the team plays together more, their skill set and game awareness will evolve and their confidence to make in-game decisions will grow. The challenge we presented to the team is to attack each possession with decisive confidence."

BULLDOG BREAKDOWN
-Fresno State went 1-2 (also played exhibition versus China) during last weekend's UCSB Gaucho Invitational, winning its first game in program history 10-9 over CSUN.
-The Bulldogs' top five goal scorers were all freshmen:
   -Sydney Coachman led the Bulldogs in goals with five, including two against both CSUN and China.
   -Emily Nicholson, Claire Schade and Callie Woodruff all scored four goals.
   -Trystyn Vuori was not far behind as she tallied three goals.
-Mackenzie Richards opened up the season as the starter in the cage for the 'Dogs.

THE MATCHUPS
Saturday, Jan. 27: vs San Jose State – 12:15 p.m. PT
The No. 16 Spartans are 1-1 in the early going, winning 13-5 over Cal State East Bay and losing 11-8 to UC Davis. SJSU has tallied 21 goals in two games and is led on offense by Klaudia Peradi and Sheila Jensen, who each have scored five goals apiece. Katelynn Thompson has handled both starts in the cage and has 19 saves and an 8.67 GAA. It will be an interesting matchup to watch, as Fresno State took down the Spartans during the Collegiate Cup back in early November.

Saturday, Jan. 27: vs UC Davis – 4:30 p.m. PT
The No. 11 Aggies sport a 1-1 record after beating San Jose State 11-8, falling to Stanford 15-3 and losing to China 17-5 in an exhibition match. Sophomore Chloe Robinson logged seven goals in UCD's first three games to lead the Aggie attack. Last year's leading scorers Greta Kohlmoos and Paige Virgil return this season along with Annie Kutt and McKenna Haus to spearhead the UC Davis offense.

Sunday, Jan. 28: vs Stanford – 11 a.m. PT
Defending National Champion and top-ranked Stanford is 1-0 on the season after defeating UC Davis 15-3 on Jan. 20. The Cardinal had four players record multi-goal efforts in the win over the Aggies as Katie Dudley and Makenzie Fisher finished with three goals and Shannon Cleary and Mackenzie Wiley tallied two apiece.

Sunday, Jan. 29: vs California – 3:30 p.m. PT
The No. 2 Golden Bears began their 2018 season at the Rainbow Invite in Honolulu last weekend. Cal put together a dominant weekend, toppling No. 6 Hawai'i, No. 24 Marist and No. 21 Loyola Marymount with relative ease. Emma Wright and Carla Carrega led the offensive attack, scoring nine and six goals apiece, respectively.

"Just the Ticket to Build Our Community" – The Bulldog Scholarship Fund gives Bulldog alumni, fans and friends the opportunity to support Fresno State Athletics and the student-athletes who inspire them. For information about how you can support the Bulldog Scholarship Fund, please visit www.bulldogscholarshipfund.com or call 559-278-7160.

Follow us on:
Twitter: @FresnoStateWP
Instagram: fresnostatewp
Facebook: FresnoStateAthletics
Snap Chat: FSAthletics

Fresno State treks to the Bay for Cal Cup Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Sydney Coachman

Emily Nicholson

Mackenzie Richards

Claire Schade

Trystyn Vuori

Callie Woodruff

Fresno State Athletics