SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Noelle Herrera and
Carleigh Robinson scored twice on Saturday, but the Sonoma State women's water polo team opened the 2016 season with a pair of losses on day one of the LouStrong Memorial, falling 13-4 to No. 8 San Jose State before losing 11-3 to CSU Bakersfield a couple of hours later in San Jose.
The Seawolves are 0-2 to begin the year and will return to the pool Sunday against No. 4 California and No. 10 Pacific, also in San Jose.
#8 San Jose State 13, Sonoma State 4 -- Box Score The eighth-ranked Spartans sprinted out to a 5-0 lead in the first period before
Noelle Herrera put the Seawolves on the board with a powerplay goal with 1:08 showing on the clock before the end of the opening stanza.
Two more SJSU shots found the cage at the beginning of the second quarter before back-to-back goals by
Ellen Peterson and
Carleigh Robinson pulled SSU within four at 7-3 with 2:20 to play in the half. However, another San Jose State goal before the break was the first of five unanswered goals by the hosts over the next 13 minutes to put the game out of reach.
Taylor Brown scored the fourth and final goal for Sonoma with 4:23 to play in regulation, but it was too little, too late in the 13-4 loss to open the 2016 campaign.
Taylor Plorin made seven saves in her first collegiate game for the Seawolves.
CSU Bakersfield 11, Sonoma State 3 -- Box ScoreThe Roadrunners scored three goals on their first three possessions to take an early 3-0 lead just 3:28 into the contest. Herrera again put the first ball in the cage for the Seawolves to trail 3-1 late in the first period, but two more goals by CSU Bakersfield in the second quarter put the score at 5-1 entering halftime.
Robinson caged the first ball of the second half by either team, pulling SSU to within three scores at 5-2 with 5:42 left in the third, but CSUB scored the next five goals to again put the game out of Sonoma's reach, en route to the 11-3 loss.
Plorin made nine more stops between the posts, totaling 16 in her first day of collegiate action.
