A tough schedule has left little margin for error for the Long Beach State women’s water polo team.
The No. 11 ‘Niners (6-5) have faced eight ranked teams in their first 11 outings. LBSU has earned victories against No. 20 Pacific, No. 15 UC Davis, and No. 6 UC San Diego.
The challenging opening stretch has included a pair of losses to fourth-ranked Cal, and one-goal losses to No. 8 San Diego State and No. 16 Cal State Northridge.
LBSU has not been at full-strength for most of the season, but Christina Kotsia returned from injury in the Triton Invitational on Feb. 8. When the 49ers finished an incredible 25-7 last season, Kotsia placed second on the team with 50 goals scored. She has three goals since her return against UCD.
LBSU head coach Gavin Arroyo said that Kotsia has given the team a boost, but he added that she needs time to round into form.
“For being out so long, she’s slowly making her way back,” he said. “She’s not 100 percent quite yet.”
The absence of offense gets to the heart of the 49ers’ struggles. In 2013, LBSU averaged 10.19 goals per game. In its first ten games this year, The Beach has reached the double-digit plateau in goal-scoring one time.
Arroyo attributes the team’s scoring woes to a tougher schedule, and he insisted that his team’s offense is not a concern.
“I think our schedule is harder this year,” he said. “Without looking too much into the numbers, you have to start with playing more difficult opponents. If we score two goals and the other team scores one, I’m satisfied.”
The 49ers’ issues on offense have made the pressure air-tight on the defensive end. LBSU is giving up 6.7 goals per game, up from 5.22 last season.
Sunday’s game against Sonoma State marked the second time that the 49ers have scored ten or more goals in a match this season. Chelsea Parks led the pack with four goals, and Coriann Snyder added a hat-trick for the 49ers in their 14-11 victory over the Seawolves.
The Beach will have an opportunity to work things out before its next contest. LBSU is in the middle of a 12-day break and will host UCSD in a rematch on Feb. 28.
“It gives us some time to get back to some conditioning and just team chemistry,” Arroyo said of the time off. “There’s definitely potential with this group. We just need to find ourselves.”
The 49ers will play their Alumni game on Saturday.