SEASIDE, Calif. — A monster second half helped Biola Women's Water Polo firmly find its footing atop the WWPA West Region standings with a 14-9 victory over previously unbeaten Cal State Monterey Bay.
Despite travel delays keeping the team from checking into its hotel until after midnight on gameday, Head Coach
Sarah Ramirez' squad had enough energy to make a big, big statement on Friday.
After finding the game tied 5-5 through the first 16 minutes of play, the Eagles jumped all over the Otters in the second half, outscoring the hosts 9-4 in the last two stanzas.
Biola scored the first three goals in the third period and then followed up by scoring the first four goals in the fourth period in order to afford itself quite a bit of breathing room after a tense first half.
Six different Eagles combined to get in on the second-half scoring in a total team effort, while freshman Fernanda Luna continued to do her thing in between the pipes to keep the Otters offense at bay.
Gwendolyn Pidd, Stephanie Rodriguez and Annabella Rapp each had a pair of goals over those final two periods to help elevate the Eagles suffocating offensive effort. The Eagles offensive efficiency was among the best it's been all season, scoring nine goals on just 15 shots in the final half.
The win is a critical one as it accomplishes two things. First, it allows Biola to answer back from an early season loss at the hands of the Otters. CSUMB set aside Biola 13-12 on the first day of the season. Second, it allows Biola to move into the driver's seat in the WWPA standings as the team aims to secure the first seed in the west region. The Otters had been 2-0 and Biola 1-0.But, now the Eagles match CSUMB in wins and have a game advantage in the loss column.
The statistical standouts for Biola included Luna's 11-save effort, which is her sixth double-digit save performance this year. On the offensive side, Rodriguez, Myah Ibarra and Pidd stuffed the stat sheet. Rodriguez led all Biolans with six points (2 goals, 4 assists). Her effort was a welcome addition to the Eagles as BU returns to conference play and Rodriguez returns to the pool.
Pidd had four goals and one assist for a cool five points. She remains top-5 in the WWPA in goals this season and is top-10 in points. Myah Ibarra had one goal and three assists to tie her season-high for points in a single game.
With business accomplished, the team will hop on its (hopefully on time) flight back to La Mirada and get set for another road trip next week. The team is now 4-15 overall and 2-0 in WWPA play and will continue its trek through league play with its final road games next Friday and Saturday. Biola plays at Fresno Pacific (5-12, 0-1 WWPA) on Friday and at UC Merced (2-11, 0-1 WWPA) on Saturday.
