California Irvine Athletics

IRVINE, Calif. – The Anteaters take on Black and Blue rival No. 6/6 Long Beach State on Thursday Apr. 17 to close out the regular season and will honor six seniors after the contest. First sprint is set for 7 p.m.
 
Week 13 Notes
 
GAME SCHEDULE
No. 6/6 Long Beach State at No. 7/7 UC Irvine
Thursday, April 17 | 7:00 PM | Anteater Aquatics Complex
Live Stats | Watch

THIS WEEK'S STORYLINES
> UC Irvine enters the week ranked seventh in the CWPA Weekly Poll and seventh in the Association of College Water Polo Coaches poll
> The Anteaters are looking to get back into the win column after splitting their weekend in Northern California, dropping 20-10 to No. 5 California
> UCI closes out the regular season with a rubber-match against No. 6/6 Long Beach State this Thursday (Apr. 17)
> Both teams are not only tied in the Big West standings for second with 5-1 records, but each team has won one of the two meetings that have occurred already this season
> After the contest, the 'Eaters will honor seniors Avy Newton, Madi O'Hara, Brooke Hourigan, Gracie Helberg, Kennedy East, and Libby Alexander in the ceremony
> No. 6/6 Long Beach enters the contest with a 14-10 overall record and sit 5-1 against Big West opponents
> The Beach have not played since Apr. 5 when they took down UC Davis 10-7 in Davis
> LBSU's offense stems from Elisa Portillo and Martina Cardona as they have 89 and 77 points on the season, respectively
> Cardona holds the team lead in goals (59) while Portillo is the leader with 32 assists and 28 steals. Portillo is second-best on the Beach squad with 57 goals
> Jamie Oberman is the only other LBSU player with over 50 points (53) with 23 goals and 30 assists
> Chelsea Oliver is holding it down in the cage for 148 saves, 24 steals, and 11 assists in 21 games played

NOTES
> UC Irvine split their last weekend out with a 17-13 victory over Big West opponent No. 17 UC Davis before falling 20-10 to No. 5 California the next day
> At the Aggies...
    -- Libby Alexander and Brooke Hourigan led the goal scoring effort with four goals apiece while Lauren Hett and Nioka Thomas put away three each
    -- Both Hett and Hourigan contributed five points as Hett dished two assists and Hourigan giving a pass on a score
    -- Kennedy East deposited two goals and Gracie Helberg added one
    -- Helberg tied Hett for the team-high in assists (2)
    -- Ella Walker recorded two saves and Rachel Kirchner blocked four shots
    -- Madi O'Hara alongside Hourigan drew three exclusions each
> Against the Golden Bears...
    -- The Anteaters led by Madi O'Hara's three goals for her third hat-trick of the season
    -- Both Libby Alexander and Kennedy East contributed two goals in the contest
    -- Maja Layden, Sara Naulty, and Brooke Hourigan rounded out the scoring
    -- Layden alongside Pippa Heaver dished three assists apiece, a team-high
    -- Sophomore Rachel Kirchner played all 32 minutes between the pipes, stopping six shots and recording a game-best five steals
    -- Both sides went 6-9 (0.667) on power play chances
> Lauren Hett is the team leader at 88 points with 59 goals and 23 assists
> Hett's 56 goals rank eighth all-time in a single season as she sits fourth in the Big West in goals
> Brooke Hourigan is next at 63 points (32 goals, 31 assists) followed by Nioka Thomas' 47 goals and 10 assists for 54 points and Libby Alexanders 36 goals and 16 assists for 52 points
> Sara Naulty and Kennedy East also sit above the 40-point threshold, tallying 47 and 45 respectively
> Madi O'Hara leads the Anteaters with 41 drawn exclusions as Thomas is nearby with 30
> Hourigan also holds the team lead in steals (25) while East has the top-spot in field blocks (8)
> Rachel Kirchner has 100 saves in the cage through 20 games and Ella Walker has 55 in ten