PALO ALTO, Calif. – Head coach
Candice Vorbeck earned her first win as the #16 Pacific women's water polo team split a pair of matches on opening day of the Stanford Invitational Saturday at Avery Aquatic Center.
The Tigers (1-1) bounced back from a tough, season-opening 12-5 loss to #2 California with a hard-fought 12-6 victory over Cal State East Bay.
"Today was honestly super fun," Vorbeck said on earning her first win as a head coach. "It's really refreshing to see the hard work from the fall and into the spring pay off. California was challenging this morning, but it was a really productive game for us. Second game was a great win. We're really looking forward to having more great performances this season."
Game 1: No. 2 California 12, No. 16 Pacific 5
In the first contest of the season, the Tigers found a key spark offensively from sophomore
Dora Alaksza, who netted the first Pacific goal and finished the morning match with a hat trick on a team-high 11 shot attempts.
Freshman goalkeeper
Maja Lizy Dulic earned her first collegiate start in goal, making five saves and three steals in the effort defensively.
California carried a 3-1 lead after the opening eight minutes and maintained its advantage with a 7-2 score at halftime.
Pacific mustered some offensive energy as Alaksza completed her hat trick in the third quarter. The Golden Bears and Tigers were level at three goals apiece in the frame after halftime.
In a defensive fourth quarter, Pacific limited California to just two goals, resulting in a final score of 12-5.
Game 2: No. 16 Pacific 12, Cal State East Bay 6
The Tigers responded from the morning matchup with a hard-fought showing against the Pioneers, led by junior
Hila Futorian, who scored a first-period hat trick and ended the match with a team-high five-goal performance.
"It was an exciting first day," Futorian said. "We have a lot to work on going forward, but I'm happy with how I played today. I'm always happy to help my team win."
Futorian paced the Tigers offense as Pacific led 4-1 after the opening frame. The Pioneers countered with a four-goal period in the second frame, cutting the Tigers' lead to 6-5 at halftime.
Pacific tallied the lone goal of the third period as junior
Addison McGowan's shot just crossed the goal line to extend the Tigers' lead to 7-5.
The Tigers opened the floodgates with five goals in the fourth quarter, ultimately securing the victory by a final score of 12-6.
The Tigers continue play at the Stanford Invitational with another pair of matches tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. against #23 Biola and at #6 Stanford. More information about the Stanford Invitational can be found at the
Tournament Central Page.
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).
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