STOCKTON, Calif. – Winning its fourth consecutive Golden Coast Conference match, the No. 23 Pacific women's water polo program posted a 13-12 victory over Azusa Pacific on Thursday evening at the Eberhardt Aquatics Center.
The match was tied 9-9 late in the third quarter when Pacific (12-8, 5-1 GCC) scored three straight goals to go up 12-9 with 7:22 left in the game. Azusa Pacific (14-13, 2-4 GCC) trimmed it to a one-goal deficit with 1:29 remaining, but the Tigers stood strong defensively in the end to capture the win.
A strong performance came from junior
Dora Alaksza who registered five goals. She's up to 230 in her career, which is fourth in school history. Alaksza, who has scored 82 goals on the season, is chasing Molly Smith's career mark of 286 goals from 1997-00 and is one away from moving up to third as Dara Tawarahara scored 231 from 2008-11.
Pacific garnered hat tricks from seniors
Hila Futorian and
Addison McGowan. Futorian also distributed five assists in the match. It was Futorian's sixth hat trick of the season and McGowan's second.
Sophomore
Ella Cowan scored the go-ahead goal to put the Tigers up 10-9. Senior
Natalie Johnston found the back of the net early in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Maja Lizy Dulic recorded nine saves and a steal. She was named the GCC Player of the Week winner earlier in the day.
Pacific improved to 16-1 all-time against Azusa Pacific and 8-0 at home.
The Tigers have won each of their first three games of a four-game home stand and are 4-1 at home this season. They will wrap-up the home stand and regular season Friday, April 18 when they host Fresno Pacific at 7 p.m. on Senior Night at the Eberhardt Aquatics Center.
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