SAN DIEGO, Calif. – After an incredibly hard-fought championship game, the Pacific women's water polo team earned second place at the 2023 Golden Coast Conference Championships.

The #2 Tigers fell 5-3 to the #1 Fresno State Bulldogs, who captured their third title in a row.

"That's one of the most impressive defensive efforts all season," said Head Coach James Graham. "Fresno State is a very talented team. To hold them to five goals, to press them the entire game… the number of times we forced them to dump the ball where they had literally nothing on offense; it was a dominant defensive performance. Unfortunately, we didn't put the ball in the back of the net enough to finish the job today."

The Tigers kept the score close with the Bulldogs the entire game. Graduate student Lucy Davis scored late in the first quarter to tie the game 1-1. The Bulldogs were up 2-1 heading into the half. The Bulldogs scored two in the third quarter, putting them up 4-1 on the Tigers. But Pacific answered. Freshman Alicia Petkov scored with 1:16 left in the third to bring the game within two. Sophomore Szamira Koppány assisted her.

With 20 seconds left in the quarter, sophomore Hila Futorian sent the ball to Koppány for a powerplay goal, bringing the Tigers within one, 4-3.

Although Pacific continued to fight, the Bulldogs scored one more goal in the fourth to capture the win.

Redshirt senior goalkeeper Clara Vulpisi had five key saves throughout the game. Freshman Dora Alaksza kept pressure on the Bulldogs the entire game, getting three steals. Graduate student Brianna Utas, Futorian and sophomore Ilyana Zlobinsky each stole the ball from the Bulldogs on defense.

"I told the ladies it can hurt a lot that we lost, and there's nothing that can keep you from feeling that way, but that doesn't mean you can't feel proud at the same time," said Graham. "We have a lot of pride in what we did this year. We fought through a lot of adversity. At no point this season were we ever complete or healthy, and every girl just stepped up to the next level, did their job, adapted, found ways to be successful and competed with heart and pride. I'm proud to be a part of this team, and nothing changes that."

Vulpisi and Utas were named to the GCC All-Tournament Team.

The Tigers end the 2023 season with a 22-8 overall record, a 5-2 regular season conference record and a 2-1 GCC tournament record.