As the Long Beach State women’s water polo team prepares for the final weekend of its tournament schedule, the team sits comfortably above the .500 mark for the first time all year.
The 49ers (10-6) are coming off a four-game sweep of their appearance at the Cal Lutheran Tournament. LBSU collected wins against Occidental, Cal Lutheran, Cal State East Bay, and La Verne.
Head coach Gavin Arroyo had pointed to a tougher schedule to justify the team’s early offensive woes. The 49ers played nine ranked opponents in their first 12 games, going 3-6 in those contests.
The 12th-ranked ‘Niners have entered a very favorable part of their schedule. LBSU will not see a ranked opponent until March 21, when they face No. 13 Hawaii in their Big West Conference opener.
The Cal Lutheran Tournament turned out to be exactly what the 49ers needed to get their offense back on track. Long Beach scored 57 goals over the two days, raising the team’s season scoring average to 9.06 goals per game.
The 49ers’ attack erupted for 19 goals in their win over La Verne. Daniela Screnci and Emily Matheson had four goals apiece to aid LBSU.
Justine Morgan recorded multi-goal games in each of the four matches.
Australian junior Jessica Brooks received her eligibility, scoring goals in three of the four games in the tournament.
The Beach squandered an opportunity to beat a ranked opponent in their home game Friday night. LBSU entered the fourth quarter tied with No. 11 UC San Diego, but goals by Leah Gonzales and Jolene Guiliana sank the 49ers, 6-4.
LBSU returns to action Friday in the Claremont Convergence Tournament. The 49ers will open against Azusa Pacific before facing Pomona-Pitzer, Chapman and Whittier. The last three opponents for The Beach each rank inside the top four in the Division 2 polls.