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Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
Cal State Monterey Bay
Rams drop final regular-season water polo contests
4/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
April 6, 2008
DAVIS, Calif. - Colorado State got four goals from Andrea Victoria, one of which came during a furious fourth-quarter rally, but the Rams couldn't overcome an early deficit in an 11-9 water polo loss to Cal State Monterey Bay Sunday afternoon at the Schaal Aquatics Center.
The loss ended a tough day for the Rams (9-24, 7-13 Western Water Polo Association), who began the morning with a 10-5 setback against No. 16 Santa Clara. Colorado State ended the Davis Shootout tournament with a 1-3 record. Sunday also concluded the Rams' 2008 regular season.
"It's been a long season," assistant coach Mike Moody said Sunday night. "We're young, we're tired and we're inexperienced. We've also played a really tough schedule."
That schedule has included games against 12 nationally ranked foes, including Sunday's meeting with Santa Clara. Now, the Rams are hoping to parlay the lessons they've learned against stiff competition, along with some much needed rest, into a successful run at the WWPA championships, April 27-29.
"The focus now is on the conference tournament," Moody said. "Water polo's a lot like basketball in that if you do well at conference, you have a shot at the NCAAs."
The Rams are hoping their conference record and other tiebreakers will give them an eighth or ninth seed out of 12 WWPA schools.
One of those schools, Monterey Bay, gave the Rams more than they could handle on Sunday. Specifically, CSU couldn't contain center Chelsea Laning, who entered the week 12th in the nation with 2.7 goals per game. Laning netted six on Sunday.
"She's a left-handed center," Moody said, "and she's one of the most underrated players in our conference."
Laning and the Otters, who led only 5-4 at halftime, broke open a close game in the third quarter. Failing to capitalize on their power plays, the Rams allowed five goals in that decisive third period. CSU stormed back in the final stanza, scoring four goals - two by freshman Ali Pavlik -- but wound up losing a heartbreaker by two points.
"We didn't do a good job taking care of our opportunities," Moody said.
In addition to those two Pavlik goals and the four by Victoria, who led the team with 11 shots on goal, CSU got scores from Annie Quinn, Shannon Kohl and Sarah Ostling.
In Sunday's morning contest, the Rams couldn't overcome a 6-1 halftime deficit in a 10-5 loss to the Broncos. CSU got a hat trick from Emily Chambers and two more goals from Victoria.
Prior to the WWPA championships, the Rams have an exhibition tilt with Weber State April 18 at the Edora Pool Ice Center in Fort Collins.
NO. 16 SANTA CLARA 10, COLORADO STATE 5
COLORADO STATE...1-0-2-2 - 5
SANTA CLARA...5-1-3-1 - 10
GOALS: Colorado State - Chambers 3, Victoria 2. Santa Clara - Lamb 2,
Harkins 2, Zimmerman 2, Betke, Hildebrand, Bonk, Anderson.
CAL STATE MONTEREY BAY 11, COLORADO STATE 9
CS MONTEREY BAY...2-3-5-1 - 11
COLORADO STATE...1-3-1-4 - 9
GOALS: Monterey Bay - Laning 6, Salvi 2, Koondyk, McRae, Bergeson.
Colorado State - Victoria 4, Pavlik 2, Quinn, Ostling, Kohl.
