No. 21 Women’s Water Polo Honors Eight on Senior Night Prior to Tight Defeat
STOCKTON, Calif. – A closely contested match just didn't end in the favor of the No. 21 Pacific women's water polo program as No. 8 Fresno State was able to squeak by for a 12-10 result Friday on Senior Night at the Eberhardt Aquatics Center.
Prior to the game, Pacific (12-9, 5-2 GCC) honored eight student-athletes in a special Senior Night ceremony. It included Sierra Cavano, Natasha Dykman, Hila Futorian, Natalie Johnston, Szamira Koppany, Addison McGowan, Lucia Sarimsakci and Ilyana Zlobinsky.
Futorian led all scorers in the game with four goals and also tallied an assist. Junior Dora Alaksza and sophomore Alicia Petkov recorded two goals apiece, while McGowan and Zlobinsky each found the back of the net once.
With Alaksza's two goals, she moved up to No. 3 all-time in program history with 232 in her career. She surpassed Dara Tawarahara's mark of 231 from 2008-11. Alaksza is chasing Molly Smith's program-leading tally of 286 goals from 1997-00. Jessica Schroeder sits in second with 268 goals from 2001-05.
The Tigers held early leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in the first quarter on goals by Alaksza and Futorian, respectively. It was even at 4-4 at the 6:26 mark of the second quarter after a goal by Zlobinsky.
Though, Fresno State (12-7, 6-1 GCC) ended the half on a 3-0 run to go up 7-4 at the intermission.
Futorian scored the first two goals of the third quarter to cut it to 7-6. However, Fresno State used another 3-0 spurt to push it back up to 10-6.
Pacific outscored the Bulldogs 3-1 in the fourth and twice cut it to a two-goal deficit, but the Bulldogs were able to hang on in the end. The match concluded a four-game homestand to end the season and the Tigers went 3-1 over the span.
Pacific will enter the Golden Coast Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed and will face No. 6 Azusa Pacific in the first round. The Tigers won the regular season match-up 13-12 on April 12. The game will be played Friday, April 12 at 10 a.m. on the campus of LMU.
Tigers Tickets
Tickets for upcoming events can be purchased through the PacificTigers.com tickets tab, or by calling the Box Office at 209-946-2474. Groups of 10 or more are eligible for a group discount and exclusive fan experiences.
Stay Social
For all the latest on Pacific women's water polo, be sure to follow the team on X (@UOPWaterPoloU), Instagram (@pacificwaterpolo) and "like" the team's official Facebook page (Pacific Women's Water Polo).
#PacificProud
Prior to the game, Pacific (12-9, 5-2 GCC) honored eight student-athletes in a special Senior Night ceremony. It included Sierra Cavano, Natasha Dykman, Hila Futorian, Natalie Johnston, Szamira Koppany, Addison McGowan, Lucia Sarimsakci and Ilyana Zlobinsky.
Futorian led all scorers in the game with four goals and also tallied an assist. Junior Dora Alaksza and sophomore Alicia Petkov recorded two goals apiece, while McGowan and Zlobinsky each found the back of the net once.
With Alaksza's two goals, she moved up to No. 3 all-time in program history with 232 in her career. She surpassed Dara Tawarahara's mark of 231 from 2008-11. Alaksza is chasing Molly Smith's program-leading tally of 286 goals from 1997-00. Jessica Schroeder sits in second with 268 goals from 2001-05.
The Tigers held early leads of 1-0 and 2-1 in the first quarter on goals by Alaksza and Futorian, respectively. It was even at 4-4 at the 6:26 mark of the second quarter after a goal by Zlobinsky.
Though, Fresno State (12-7, 6-1 GCC) ended the half on a 3-0 run to go up 7-4 at the intermission.
Futorian scored the first two goals of the third quarter to cut it to 7-6. However, Fresno State used another 3-0 spurt to push it back up to 10-6.
Pacific outscored the Bulldogs 3-1 in the fourth and twice cut it to a two-goal deficit, but the Bulldogs were able to hang on in the end. The match concluded a four-game homestand to end the season and the Tigers went 3-1 over the span.
Pacific will enter the Golden Coast Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed and will face No. 6 Azusa Pacific in the first round. The Tigers won the regular season match-up 13-12 on April 12. The game will be played Friday, April 12 at 10 a.m. on the campus of LMU.
Tigers Tickets
Tickets for upcoming events can be purchased through the PacificTigers.com tickets tab, or by calling the Box Office at 209-946-2474. Groups of 10 or more are eligible for a group discount and exclusive fan experiences.
Stay Social
For all the latest on Pacific women's water polo, be sure to follow the team on X (@UOPWaterPoloU), Instagram (@pacificwaterpolo) and "like" the team's official Facebook page (Pacific Women's Water Polo).
#PacificProud
