'Dogs face Eagles in GCC matchup

Saturday, March 19

Irvine, CA

3:00 PM PT

Fresno State

Concordia University (Calif.)

'Dogs face Eagles in GCC matchup

3/18/2022 9:30:00 PM | Water Polo

Fresno State Season Stats

By: Taylor Martinez / Strategic Communications

Week 9: No. 8 Fresno State (10-7, (1-0 GCC) vs. Concordia (7-8, 1-1 GCC)
Saturday, March 19, 2022 • 3 p.m. PT • Irvine, Calif.

LIVE STATS: TheFosh.com
LIVE STREAM: Link

BULLDOG BITES

Fresno State is ranked No. 8, the highest-ranking in program history.
Fresno State has been ranked No. 8 for eight straight weeks.
Fresno State is 10-7 (1-0 GCC) this season.
Fresno State has won seven straight games.
Fresno State opened GCC play with a 19-6 win over Santa Clara.
The Bulldogs have not played since Feb. 26.
Fresno State is averaging 11.5 goals and 30.3 shots per game.
Fresno State has outscored its opponents 196-159 this season.
Fresno State has nine players that have scored 10+ goals this season.
Freshman Fanni Muzsnay ranks No. 3 in the GCC with 41 goals.
Muzsnay has earned two GCC Player of the Week accolades this season.
Goalkeeper Paula Nieto Jasny has played the entirety of every game this season in the cage for the Bulldogs.
Nieto Jasny owns a .460 save percentage and has logged 126 saves.

FRESHMAN ON FIRE
Freshman Fanni Muzsnay has made an immediate impact on the Bulldogs' offense this season.

The attacker has earned two Golden Coast Conference Player of the Week honors. She is the only player in the conference that has won multiple weekly awards this season.

Muzsnay leads the Bulldogs on the attack with 95 shots, 41 goals and 49 points. She ranks No. 3 in the GCC in total goals.

2022 OUTLOOK
Fresno State enters its fifth season of competition under head coach Natalie Benson. Fresno State returns 13 players from its 2021 roster. The Bulldogs add 11 newcomers including 10 freshman and one transfer.

Fresno State brings back its top two scorers from 2021 in Emily Nicholson and Daphne Guevremont.

Nicholson is a four-time All-Golden Coast Conference selection and two-time All-American. She is the program leader in goals (161) and drawn exclusions (280). Last season, she recorded 37 goals, 40 points and 68 drawn exclusions.

Guevremont is a two-time All-GCC selection and earned All-American Honorable Mention recognition in 2020. Last season, she logged 35 goals, 24 assists, 59 points and eight field blocks.

In goal, the Bulldogs return Mackenzie Matheny who appeared in 11 games last season. She tabbed 20 saves and three steals.

Fresno State also returns Paula Nieto Jasny who sat out the 2021 season. In 2020, she recorded a 5-3 record as the starting goalie. The Malaga, Spain native had 89 saves, a .492 save percentage and swiped a team-high 22 steals. She recorded three games with 10-plus saves.

The Bulldogs' lone transfer is Valley native Savannah Fitzgerald. She joins Fresno State after helping lead Pacific two regular season Golden Coast Conference titles, two GCC Tournament titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances. She accounted for 155 shots, 72 goals and 89 points during her career with the Tigers.
Fresno State will open its 2022 season at the Arizona State Tournament Jan. 21-23. The Bulldogs will face three Top 10 teams in No. 4 Arizona State, No. 5 Cal, No. 7 UC Irvine and No. 8 Michigan.

'DOGS PICKED TO REPEAT AS GCC CHAMPS
The Fresno State water polo team was chosen to repeat as the Golden Coast Conference champions according to the 2022 GCC Preseason Coaches' Poll, voted on by the league's eight head coaches. The Bulldogs earned six first place votes and 48 total points in the poll.

This marks the first time in program history that Fresno State has been picked as the preseason favorite to win the league.

The Bulldogs check-in at No. 10 in the NCAA preseason rankings, the highest ranking GCC team. Pacific and San Diego State also made the Top 15 at No. 13 and No. 15, respectively.

Fresno State will begin GCC play on Feb. 26 hosting Santa Clara in the Aquatics Center at 1 p.m. PT.

2021 REVIEW
In just its fourth year of competition, Fresno State recorded a historic season. The Bulldogs finished the season with an overall record of 13-6 (6-1 GCC).

The Bulldogs took a piece of the Golden Coast Conference regular season championship after recording a program-best six wins in conference play, finishing in a three-way tie for first place with San Diego State and Pacific. This marked the first GCC regular season title in program history. Head Coach Natalie Benson was named the GCC Coach of the Year.

Concluding regular season play, The Bulldogs tabbed two first team, one second team and two freshman team All-GCC selections. Five is the most honorees that Fresno State has earned in program history.

Daphne Guevremont and Emily Nicholson were named All-GCC First Team honorees. Callie Woodruff earned an All-GCC Second Team nod. Kaitlin Howarth and Cynthia Rosa rounded out the Bulldogs' postseason awards. Howarth was named a GCC All-Freshman First Team selection while Rosa tallied All-Freshman Second Team honors.

Fresno State's stellar play during conference earned the team a spot in the GCC Women's Water Polo Championship, a four-team field with the top four teams earning a bid to the tournament. The Bulldogs secured the top seed in the tournament.

The 'Dogs won their first GCC Tournament Championship in program history with a 14-10 victory over the second-seeded and 13th-ranked San Diego State. Claire Schade led the Bulldogs with five points in the game, scoring a hat trick with two assists. The senior finished the tournament leading the field with eight assists and 12 points to earn Tournament MVP honors. Nicholson led all-scorers in the contest with four goals. Woodruff had a goal, an assist and a steal in the title game. Nicholson and Woodruff joined Schade on the GCC All-Tournament Team.

The Bulldogs made the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance, and earned the first NCAA Tournament win by defeating Cal Lutheran 15-7. Nicholson was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team.

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