Fresno State set to clash with Santa Clara, No. 11 UC San Diego this week

FRESNO, Calif. – Fresno State water polo will play a pair of home games this week as conference opponent Santa Clara and non-conference foe UC San Diego visit the Valley. The Bulldogs come into the week with a 3-13 overall record and a 0-2 mark in conference play, as they are seeking their first-ever Golden Coast Conference victory.

"Conference continues with our game against Santa Clara University, and an opportunity to play against a team we played earlier in the season," head coach Natalie Benson said. "I am looking forward to seeing how we have improved over the last few weeks translate to our game-play. We have been training well, and just need to carry over our training to our competitive opportunities."

BULLDOG NOTES
-Fresno State is coming off a 9-8 loss to Azusa Pacific on March 16. Trystyn Vuori had a shot from the perimeter to tie it as time expired but it was saved by the Cougars' goalie.
-Emily Nicholson was a bright spot against APU. The freshman center logged a hat trick to go along with three steals, five drawn exclusions and a field block.
-Callie Woodruff continues to lead the Bulldogs in points with 30 (team-high 25 goals, five assists), while Claire Schade remains second on the team in points with 22 (12 goals, team-high 10 assists).
-Emily Nicholson (16), Maddie Loggins and Trystyn Vuori (11 apiece) have also scored double-digit goals this season.
-Among the Bulldogs that have scored double-digit goals, Claire Schade owns the highest shooting percentage at 41 percent.
-Nicholson leads the 'Dogs in drawn exclusions (26) and steals (14).
-Starting goalie Madelynn Garcia, the lone sophomore on the Fresno State roster, has tallied 77 saves in 264 minutes played. She owns a 10.67 GAA.

THE MATCHUPS
Wednesday, March 28 vs. Santa Clara – 4 p.m. PT
The Broncos come into the week with a 10-11 overall record and a 1-1 mark in Golden Coast Conference play. Santa Clara has gone 3-2 in its last five as that stretch was highlighted by SCU's lone conference win so far this season, an 8-7 victory over Concordia on March 17. The Bulldogs and Broncos faced off back on Feb. 17 during the Aggie Shootout. SCU edged Fresno State 7-6 in what was a close contest throughout. The Bronco offense is led by its three 20-plus goal scorers in Hannah Buck (28), Hailey Eberle (22) and Annie Eldridge (21). Lydia Dadd anchors Santa Clara's defense as the sophomore goalie has started all 20 games in the cage, collecting 179 saves and 12 steals.

Saturday, March 31 vs. UC San Diego – 12 p.m. PT
The No. 11 Tritons enter the week with an 18-10 overall record and a 3-0 mark in WWPA competition. UCSD is on a hot streak, having won nine of its last 10 games. UC San Diego has not lost to an opponent currently ranked lower than No. 16 all season. The Tritons' wins are highlighted by triumphs over Loyola Marymount (twice) and Indiana. The UCSD offense is headlined by three 30-plus goal scorers in Kayla Felder (38), Grace Pevehouse and Taylor Onstott (32 apiece). Defensively, both Reilly Gallagher and Bennett Bugelli have gotten significant time in the cage this season. Gallagher owns a 6.86 GAA and has 105 saves, while Bugelli has a 7.06 GAA and has been credited with 100 saves. The Tritons will play Fresno Pacific on Friday before facing off against the Bulldogs on Saturday.

LIVE STREAMS
Both of these matchups will be available to FloSports subscribers and streamed on FloLive: http://bit.ly/2Feve3V
http://bit.ly/2tiUJf0

LIVE STATS
You can also follow the game with live stats through The Fosh:
https://bit.ly/2HZFYjC
https://bit.ly/2GfCYm1

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Fresno State set to clash with Santa Clara, No. 11 UC San Diego this week

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Players Mentioned

Madelynn Garcia

Maddie Loggins

Emily Nicholson

Claire Schade

Trystyn Vuori

Callie Woodruff

Fresno State Athletics