LOS ANGELES – Francesca Puccinelli of Santa Clara women's water polo was rewarded for leading the team to a pair of wins last week.
Puccinelli, the starting goaltender, was named Golden Coast Conference Player of the Week after a strong performance in all three games last week, including a Saturday sweep of Cal State East Bay and Sonoma State. She capped off day by making a career-high 16 saves, including two keys ones on the last possession by the Seawolves, who were attempting to score the tying goal in Santa Clara's 8-7 come-from-behind win.
Earlier Saturday, Puccinelli led a strong defensive effort by holding Cal State East Bay off the scoreboard for nearly 12 minutes while the Broncos (3-1) snapped a 3-all tie with three straight goals to secure a 6-4 victory.
The senior also made 10 blocks in three quarters of action in Thursday's 16-6 loss to No. 8 Hawaii.
The team heads to San Diego Friday for its first GCC game, as well as four contests in the Triton Invitational. The Broncos play San Diego State at 3 p.m. Friday, then begin tournament play at UC San Diego on Saturday.
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