April 28, 2006
La Jolla, Calif. - Third-seeded Santa Clara used a diverse offense this afternoon to beat Sonoma State 12-4 for the fourth time this season in the second round of the Western Water Polo Association Championships. Katie Radvanyi and Alanna Simpkins led the way with three goals apiece in the winning cause and with today's dominating victory over the Seawolves, the No. 16 Broncos earned a spot into tomorrow's conference championship semifinals. As a Top-4 seed in the tournament, Santa Clara earned a first-round bye.
"It was a big first game for us. We had a hard time scoring in the first quarter, first -game jitters, but we played good defense," said head coach Keith Wilbur. "We are happy we won the first game and we are looking forward to tomorrow's match."
Santa Clara improves its record to 24-7 and will return to action tomorrow afternoon at 1:45 p.m. against the winner of the UC Davis-Cal State Bakersfield match, to be played later on today.
Six different players found the back of the net for the Broncos. In addition to Radvanyi and Simpkins' offensive prowess, Brianna Anderson and Andrea Evans scored two goals apiece. Lindsey Bacolini and Allie Lamb netted one goal each to round out the scoring. Kristin Barnes did an excellent job manning the cage, finishing the game with six blocks, one steal, and one assist.
