Sonoma State 8, Cal State San Bernardino 6 -- Box Score

LA JOLLA, Calif. -- Noelle Herrera had another big game against Cal State San Bernardino, caging a season-high four goals to lift the Sonoma State women's water polo team to an 8-6 win on day two of the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Women's Championships in La Jolla, which sets up a semifinal contest between the Seawolves (8-21) and top-seeded UC San Diego later this afternoon at 3:00 pm.  The Coyotes see their season come to an end at 3-24.

Herrera, who was named to the WWPA All-Conference First Team earlier this week, has scored nine of her team-high 44 goals against Cal State San Bernardino this season and her four-goal output on Saturday was the third time this season that the sophomore scored four in one game.

Though the Coyotes entered the WWPA tournament with just three wins all season and with the program facing extinction, they weren't going to go down without a fight and they showed just that on Friday in a two-goal loss to No.2-seed Cal State Monterey Bay.  Tied at 1-1, the Seawolves scored three unanswered goals to take a 4-1 lead.  The two teams then traded goals until the score became 6-3 in favor of SSU with 7:25 left in the third quarter.

CSUSB began to claw back with consecutive goals to come within one at 6-5, but Herrera's goal at the 3:15 mark of the third period to put Sonoma up 7-5 would prove to be crucial, then Tessa deRecat caged an insurance goal two minutes later for the 8-5 lead in favor of the Seawolves.  Cal State San Bernardino's Mary Jane Cooney threw in a quick goal 20 seconds after deRecat's score, but from then on, it became a defensive battle and both teams were held scoreless for the final 9:22, resulting in the 8-6 win for Sonoma State.

Herrera's four goals and deRecat's two led the way for SSU on Saturday morning.  Alexa May and Caitlin Risden also scored in the victory.  Andrea Mallul got the start in the cage and made eight saves.

Despite suffering the nailbiting loss on Friday to Cal State East Bay, Sonoma State still has the opportunity to play for the WWPA title and the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament in two weeks.  To do so, the Seawolves will need to defeat 14th-ranked UC San Diego at 3:00 pm, then knock off the winner between Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State East Bay in Sunday's championship game.