Junior defender Krizia Cerda tied a career-high with five goals to lead the Long Beach State women’s water polo team to a decisive 13-4 victory over Bucknell on Tuesday at the 49er Campus Pool.
Lauren Sieprath added two goals, while goalkeeper Kristen Stragier anchored LBSU’s defense with 12 saves.
Cerda broke the scoreless game open at the 6:56 mark before Sieprath gave The Beach a 2-0 edge after beating Bison goalkeeper Rena Heim in a one-on-one situation.
Cerda then tacked on one more goal with 44 seconds left in the first quarter.
The 49ers found the net two more times in the second frame. Matheson’s shot with 5:45 on the clock ricocheted off the hand of Heim before dropping into the net. Cerda then notched her third goal of the match with seven seconds left in the half to give the 49ers a 5-0 cushion at the break.
The Beach picked up where it left off in the first half with three more goals in the third quarter before Bucknell scored its first of the match at the 2:31 mark. The Bison quickly scored again before the end of the period to cut the deficit, 8-2.
However, the 49ers didn’t let up in the final eight minutes as they scored five more times, while resuming their defensive pressure and holding Bucknell to just four goals.
The ‘Niners will return to action this weekend as they will head to the Loyola Marymount Tournament in Los Angeles for four games. LBSU will open the two-day tournament against Princeton on Friday at 10:15 a.m.
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