Fresno State Athletics
Saturday, March 31
Fresno, Calif.
12 P.M. PT
Fresno State
11
vs
13
UC San Diego
Photo by: Keith Kountz
Fresno State’s high-octane offense not enough to knock off No. 11 UC San Diego
3/31/2018 2:18:00 PM | Water Polo
FRESNO, Calif. – The first three minutes of Saturday's non-conference matchup against No. 11 UC San Diego were rather quiet. And then, the scoring barrage began. Fresno State and UCSD combined for 15 goals in the first half as the Bulldogs held an 8-7 advantage over the Tritons at the break. The 'Dogs led 11-9 after three but their offense stalled in the fourth period while UC San Diego continued to pour it on, as the Tritons came away with a 13-11 victory over Fresno State.
Callie Woodruff led the offense with a hat trick while also swiping a team-high three steals. Emily Nicholson had another strong game as the freshman center drew two exclusions and scored twice, narrowly missing her third consecutive hat trick.
"We put more shots on goal today for the goalie to either block, deflect in or to score and I think they paid the dividends of that," head coach Natalie Benson said. "In the fourth quarter, we started playing a little bit outside ourselves, knowing we were in a position to beat a top team. We started doing things that are uncharacteristic of us. I also had to play around with my personnel. Emily (Nicholson) had two exclusions in the first half so I had to make sure I could have her toward the end of the game. We just weren't able to finish."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Emily Nicholson opened the scoring with a goal at the 4:19 mark of the opening period. Fresno State followed with goals by Maci Layne and Natalie Espinoza to jump out to a 3-0 lead over UC San Diego. The Tritons then got their offense going as Taylor Onstott scored with 1:51 remaining in the quarter. She was quickly joined in the scoring column by Shelby Stender as UCSD pulled within one. With seven seconds left, Nicholson poured in her second goal of the period to give the Bulldogs a 4-2 lead heading into the second.
As good as both offenses were in the first period, they hit another gear in the second. UCSD struck first on a goal by Krista Schneider to make it a 4-3 game. Jillian Gross provided the answer for the 'Dogs as she blasted one in from the perimeter to give Fresno State a two-goal cushion once again. Jessee Ransone of the Tritons then scored two consecutive goals to tie it up at 5-5 before the Bulldogs got consecutive scores from Callie Woodruff and Sydney Coachman. UC San Diego would score twice more while Woodruff added her second of the period, as Fresno State took an 8-7 lead into the break.
The Tritons' offense didn't skip a beat to start the third period as they rattled off two goals to take a 9-8 advantage, their first lead of the game. The Bulldogs countered in a big way thanks to scores by Sydney Coachman, Callie Woodruff and Isabella Magno. The collective hat trick to end the third gave Fresno State an 11-9 lead heading into the fourth as they inched closer to the upset.
But the Bulldogs' offense would go cold in the fourth period. Fresno State couldn't manage to put one in the net while UCSD scored four times to go on to win by a score of 13-11, denying the 'Dogs what would have been their signature win of the inaugural season.
PLAYER NOTES
Callie Woodruff – 3 goals (team-high), 3 steals (team-high), 2 drawn exclusions
Emily Nicholson – 2 goals, 2 drawn exclusions, steal, assist
Isabella Magno – 3 assists (tied for team-high), goal
Sydney Coachman – 2 goals, assist, steal, field block
Claire Schade – 3 assists (tied for team-high)
UP NEXT
Fresno State will be back in the pool on Friday, April 6 to take on conference opponent Concordia. It will be Senior Day at Fresno State Aquatics Center as the Bulldogs will honor their three seniors Gabrielle Wiltse, Jillian Wulf and Rebekah Groteguth.
"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
Callie Woodruff led the offense with a hat trick while also swiping a team-high three steals. Emily Nicholson had another strong game as the freshman center drew two exclusions and scored twice, narrowly missing her third consecutive hat trick.
"We put more shots on goal today for the goalie to either block, deflect in or to score and I think they paid the dividends of that," head coach Natalie Benson said. "In the fourth quarter, we started playing a little bit outside ourselves, knowing we were in a position to beat a top team. We started doing things that are uncharacteristic of us. I also had to play around with my personnel. Emily (Nicholson) had two exclusions in the first half so I had to make sure I could have her toward the end of the game. We just weren't able to finish."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Emily Nicholson opened the scoring with a goal at the 4:19 mark of the opening period. Fresno State followed with goals by Maci Layne and Natalie Espinoza to jump out to a 3-0 lead over UC San Diego. The Tritons then got their offense going as Taylor Onstott scored with 1:51 remaining in the quarter. She was quickly joined in the scoring column by Shelby Stender as UCSD pulled within one. With seven seconds left, Nicholson poured in her second goal of the period to give the Bulldogs a 4-2 lead heading into the second.
As good as both offenses were in the first period, they hit another gear in the second. UCSD struck first on a goal by Krista Schneider to make it a 4-3 game. Jillian Gross provided the answer for the 'Dogs as she blasted one in from the perimeter to give Fresno State a two-goal cushion once again. Jessee Ransone of the Tritons then scored two consecutive goals to tie it up at 5-5 before the Bulldogs got consecutive scores from Callie Woodruff and Sydney Coachman. UC San Diego would score twice more while Woodruff added her second of the period, as Fresno State took an 8-7 lead into the break.
The Tritons' offense didn't skip a beat to start the third period as they rattled off two goals to take a 9-8 advantage, their first lead of the game. The Bulldogs countered in a big way thanks to scores by Sydney Coachman, Callie Woodruff and Isabella Magno. The collective hat trick to end the third gave Fresno State an 11-9 lead heading into the fourth as they inched closer to the upset.
But the Bulldogs' offense would go cold in the fourth period. Fresno State couldn't manage to put one in the net while UCSD scored four times to go on to win by a score of 13-11, denying the 'Dogs what would have been their signature win of the inaugural season.
PLAYER NOTES
Callie Woodruff – 3 goals (team-high), 3 steals (team-high), 2 drawn exclusions
Emily Nicholson – 2 goals, 2 drawn exclusions, steal, assist
Isabella Magno – 3 assists (tied for team-high), goal
Sydney Coachman – 2 goals, assist, steal, field block
Claire Schade – 3 assists (tied for team-high)
UP NEXT
Fresno State will be back in the pool on Friday, April 6 to take on conference opponent Concordia. It will be Senior Day at Fresno State Aquatics Center as the Bulldogs will honor their three seniors Gabrielle Wiltse, Jillian Wulf and Rebekah Groteguth.
"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
Players Mentioned
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