SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Pacific women's water polo team captured their first win of the GCC tournament on Friday morning against Azusa Pacific. The Tigers defeated the Cougars 14-10 in the opening round game.

"It's exciting to be down here at the championships," said Head Coach James Graham. "I'm really happy with how we did a lot of things in that game, but like always, there are places to make changes and adaptations."

Graduate student Brianna Utas matched her career-high five goals to lead the Tigers on the scoring front. The "minister of defense" has become a minister of offense for the Tigers.

"Bri is playing the best water polo of her life," said Graham. "She's one of the most dynamic players in this conference and is just fantastic."

Sophomore Szamira Koppány scored a hat trick, helping to keep the Tigers ahead for the whole game. Sophomore Hila Futorian and freshman Dora Alaksza each found the back of the Cougars' net twice. Graduate student Lucy Davis and freshman Noemi Alaksza each dented the twine once.

"Overall, I think if that game was an indicator, I'm excited about this weekend and what we're going to do tomorrow," said Graham.

Koppány assisted on four Tiger goals, setting up her teammates for beautiful shots. Futorian had two assists on goals. Sophomore Addison McGowan, Dora, Utas, Noemi, sophomore Ilyana Zlobinsky and Davis all set up a Tiger goal with an assist.

Redshirt senior goalkeeper Clara Vulpisi had eight saves in the game. Utas led the Tigers with three steals. McGowan and Futorian each had two, and Dora and Noemi each had one.

The Tigers took advantage of the powerplay, scoring on six of their seven powerplay attempts for an 86 percent conversion.

The Tigers move on to the semifinals of the 2023 Golden Coast Conference Championships and will play the winner of LMU/Santa Clara at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 28.

Tickets for the 2023 GCC Championships are on sale now. The tournament is hosted at Aztec Aquaplex at San Diego State from Friday, April 28, through Sunday, April 30. Fans can find more information at the tournament central site. 

To stay current on Pacific women's water polo, download the Pacific Tigers Athletics mobile app and follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.