Stockton, Calif. - The No. 12 Pacific women's water polo team improved to 3-0 in Golden Coast Conference play with a 12-4 win over Fresno Pacific in the Tigers' home opener. Megan Torre scored a career-high four goals, while Karolina Hlavata hit the 50 goal mark on the season with three goals.
Rachel Krieger and Viktoria Szmodics also added two goals each, while Elise Whittall's goal rounded out the scoring for Pacific.
Pacific posted a shutout fourth quarter for the third consecutive conference game. Meghan Nee made 11 saves in goal for Pacific.
Torre opened the scoring in the first, 1:47 into the game, with a cross-cage goal off an assist from Szmodics. But the Sunbirds answered with a goal from Nia Apodaca on the very next possession. Torre struck again off a long outlet pass from Nee, finishing a lob shot over the keeper for a 2-1 Pacific lead.
Szmodics ripped home a power play goal for a 3-1 lead off an assist from Krieger, and Torre recorded her third hat trick off the year in transition off a Szmodics steal.
Pacific stretched the lead to 5-1 as Hlavaa finished on the break to the top left cordner with 22 seconds left in the first quarter. But Apodaca beat the buzzer with a shot off the post and in to draw within 5-2 after one.
In the second, Kaitlin Groothuyzen cut the score to 5-3 with a cross-cage goal at the 4:09 mark. But it was all Tigers after that as Torre's fourth goal came on an outlet pass from Nee and Szmodics scored 11 seconds before halftime for a 7-3 advantage at the half.
In the third, Hlavata ripped home a goal off an assist from Krieger, and on Pacific's next possession, finished off the hat trick with an unassisted goal.
Kaeli Hanson scored for the Sunbirds with 1:52 left in the third, cutting the gap to 9-4, but Krieger closed the quarter with her first of the game from the top on a Pacific 6-on-5 advantage.
In the fourth, Krieger finished a pass from Szmodics for a seven goal advantage, and Morgan Hurley fed Whittall in the center for a goal within the two-meter to cap the scoring.
Pacific scored two goals on the power player. Defensively, the Tigers held Fresno Pacific off the board in 11 of the Sunbirds 12 chances with a player advantage. Pacific has killed off 29 of the last 32 opponent 6-on-5 chances. For the year, Pacific has killed 74 percent when shorthanded.
Hlavata's three goals gave her 50 on the season, the 22nd 50-goal campaign by a Tiger in Pacific program history.
Pacific improves to 11-14 overall on the year, and 3-0 in GCC play. The Sunbirds fall to 9-12 on the year, 1-4 in the GCC.
The Tigers will host No. 18 San Diego State on Saturday at 1 p.m. in a GCC showdown. The Tigers and Aztecs are both 3-0, with SDSU in action Friday afternoon at Santa Clara.
