LOS ANGELES – Day one of the 2025 Golden Coast Conference Championship at the Burns Aquatics Center in Los Angeles, Calif., is in the books and the semifinals are set. And they should look very familiar.
No. 3 Pacific started the day with a 16-9 win over No. 6 Azusa Pacific in game one. Game two saw No. 2 Fresno State defeat No. 7 Concordia, 21-7. Game three went down to the wire as No. 4 San Diego State held off No. 5 California Baptist, 14-13. The final game of the day saw No. 1 LMU set a tournament record in a 27-8 win over No. 8 Santa Clara.
The results setup #SemifinalSaturday, and the matchups are the same as a year ago.
Our first semifinal will feature eighth-ranked Fresno State facing No. 21 Pacific at 2 pm, with the second semifinal matching up No. 9 LMU taking on No. 23 San Diego State.
The second day will begin with the seventh-place game featuring Concordia and Santa Clara at 10 am. The fifth-place game will be California Baptist taking on Azusa Pacific at noon.
DAY ONE RECAP
Game 1: No. 3 Pacific 16, No. 6 Azusa Pacific 9
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No. 21 Pacific secured a decisive 16-9 victory over Azusa Pacific in game one of the GCC Championship. Last year, Pacific’s Ella Cowan scored the game winner 51 seconds into the sudden death overtime to beat APU. This year she went for five points, including three goals and two assists to put the Tigers back to the semifinals. The Tigers have advanced to every semifinal in the 12-year history of the GCC.
Dora Alaksza also had three goals for Pacific (13-9) as they used a six-goal first quarter to set the tone. They then posted a third quarter shutout to pull away. Azusa Pacific (16-15) struggled to keep pace with Pacific's scoring, despite strong efforts from Jaeden Johnson, who netted three goals, and Alexandra Akritidou, who added two..
Pacific's goalie, Maja Lizy Dulic, was a key factor in the victory with nine saves, while Azusa Pacific's Daniela Herrero Miralles made five saves.
Game 2: No. 2 Fresno State 21, No. 7 Concordia 7
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No. 8 Fresno State Bulldogs began the quest for their fifth straight GCC tournament title with a convincing 21-7 victory over the Concordia.
Fresno State (13-7) took control early on, with Abbey Simshauser leading the charge by netting four goals in the match. She finished with five points in the match, adding an assist. Two-time reigning tournament MVP Brooke Ochoa also had five points with three goals and two assists. Kira Anderson had a six-point game with two goals and four assists.
The Bulldogs established a strong lead in the first half, ending the opening half with an impressive 13-3 advantage thanks to a 9-1 second quarter advantage.
Concordia's (6-23) efforts to claw back included two goals from Anna Tyukasz and contributions from Lucy Aggs, Sofia Dominguez, Sierrah Ferguson, and Emeline Smiley.
Defensively, Fresno State's Ida Tully-Giles made four saves, while Jaden Soto of Concordia recorded 11 saves, reflecting the high-volume shooting from the Bulldogs.
Game 3: No. 4 San Diego State 14, No. 5 California Baptist 13
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In a tightly contested GCC Championship Quarterfinal match, No. 22 San Diego State pulled out a thrilling 14-13 win over California Baptist in game three on Friday. The Aztecs have also advanced to every semifinal in the 12-year history of the GCC.
SDSU (15-13) displayed a balanced scoring attack with multiple players contributing to the scoreboard. Sammi Byers, Mimi Stoupas, and Juilanne Stark each netted three goals for the Aztecs.
Celeste Almendariz led the charge for CBU (12-15), scoring five goals, while Devyn Ruffer and Kyra Kahahawai contributed with two goals each. Delilah Moreno and Cayleigh Carter also found the back of the net.
The teams played even in the first quarter, sitting tied at 5-5. The Aztecs then scored five of the next six goals to take a 10-6 lead on a Stark tally. Kahahawai scored a 6-on-5 goals with less than two minutes to play in the half to cut the lead to three, 10-7, enter the break.
Trailing 12-9, CBU scored back-to-back goals from Carter and Almendariz to cut the lead to one, 12-11. The teams would traded goals with Kahahawai cutting the lead to 14-13 with 3:53 to play. From there, SDSU’s defense held for the final margin.
Game 4: No. 1 LMU vs. No. 8 Santa Clara – 4 PM
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No. 9 LMU is back to the semifinals after leaving little doubt in a 27-8 win over Santa Clara in the final game of day one. The Lions scored the game’s first 11 goals and went on to set the tournament record for goals in a game. The 35 total goals is also a record.
The Lions (18-11) took control early, scoring eight goals in the first period alone, led by first-team All-GCC performer Yanah Gerber, who netted four goals in the match. Santa Clara (6-18) managed to find the back of the net with two goals from Megan Chambliss and Khloe Tarbet, but their offense struggled to keep pace with LMU's relentless scoring.
Loyola Marymount's offensive firepower was highlighted by contributions from Ruth Arino Ruiz, Cianne Benjamin, and Sophia DeMattia, each scoring three goals. The Lions maintained a strong defensive performance as well, with goalies Alyssa Barnuevo and Talia Herbermann combining for eight saves, stifling any significant scoring runs from Santa Clara.