Jan. 31, 2015
Stanford, Calif.----- The #7-ranked San Jose State University women's water polo team rebounded from its first loss of the season with a resounding 15-6 victory over #18-ranked UC Davis on the first day of the Stanford Invitational.
The Spartans (9-1) lost their opener to #6-ranked UC Irvine, 9-6. The Anteaters (1-0) broke open a 5-5 tie midway through the third quarter with four consecutive goals over a 6:31 span covering the end of the third and first half of the final quarter.
"The mistakes we made against UCI were costly. They are a good team. They're sixth in the nation. When we make those mistakes, they are going to capitalize," said San Jose State head coach Johnny Bega. "We stepped up our play against UC Davis. We did not let down at all. We complemented each other throughout each quarter. And, again, our defense was solid."
San Jose State goalkeeper Katelynn Thompson kept her team in the UC Irvine match with a personal single-game best 14 saves. Thompson was equally effective in the UC Davis victory with four more stops in the first three quarters as the Spartans took an 8-5 halftime advantage and built it into an insurmountable 14-6 lead.
Clara Espar Llaquet was the top goal scorer in the doubleheader with five scores on a variety of shots against UC Davis (1-3) and four in the UC Irvine contest. Bianca Seyfert chipped in with her third three-goal "hat trick" of the season in the UC Davis victory. Timi Molnar and Donia Momen were two more Spartans to score at least twice against UC Davis with a pair each.
"This morning, we had a lot of opportunities that we missed. There were tiny little things that can change a game like us not putting the ball away when we had to. Our mistakes gave them (UC Irvine) opportunities," said Espar Llaquet who has scored 14 goals in the last three Spartan matches. "This afternoon, we corrected that and took advantage of the opportunities we had to put the ball away (in the net)."
San Jose State takes on #1-Stanford (4-0) in its first match of the final day of the tournament. The Spartans and Cardinal start action at 8:00 a.m.
Stanford Invitational Women's Water Polo Tournament
Bellardi Pool, Stanford, Calif.
January 31, 2015
| Match 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #18-UC Davis (1-3) | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| #7-San José State (9-1) | 4 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 15 |
Goal scoring
UC Davis - Hannah Harvey, 2; Keelia Houston, Bryn Lutz, Carla Tocchini, Allyson Hansen, 1.
San Jose State - Clara Espar Llaquet, 5; Bianca Seyfert, 3; Donia Momen, Timi Molnar, 2, each; Rae Lekness, Victoria Smith, Giuliana Tragitt, 1, each.
Goalkeeper saves
UC Davis - Jill Wilding, 6 (3 quarters); Haley Cameron, 2 (1 quarter).
San Jose State - Katelynn Thompson, 4 (3 quarters); Tayler Peters, 4 (1 quarter).
Ejections
UC Davis - 9.
San Jose State - 9.
| Match 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| #7-San Jose State (8-1) | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| #6-UC Irvine (1-0) | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 9 |
Goal scoring
San Jose State - Clara Espar Llaquet, 4; Rae Lekness, Victoria Smith, 1, each.
UC Irvine - McKenna Mitchell, Mackenzie Milham, Emily Carlson, 2, each; Mary Brooks, Danielle Warde, Destene Albers, 1, each.
Goalkeeper saves
San Jose State - Katelynn Thompson, 14.
UC Irvine - Jillian Yocum, 4.
Ejections
San Jose State - 9.
UC Irvine - 8.