THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - The Concordia women's water polo team kept Cal Lutheran on its toes the entire match before taking it all into overtime. A single goal determined the winner of the thrillingly close game.

From start to finish, Concordia and Cal Lutheran were neck and neck. Sofia Smith and Anna Tyukasz were the first Golden Eagles to blaze ahead and get points on the board. Freshman attacker Anna Tyukasz went on to be the lead scorer for CUI with a solid six goals overall. This surpassed her golden debut of five goals in a single game. 

Multiple Golden Eagles made a significant impact in the back-and-forth standoff. Sofia Dominguez, Sierrah Ferguson, and Emeline Smiley each scored a goal against the Regals. Smiley was also crucial when it came to the sprints in the third and fourth period. Her quick movements and well-timed assists kept CUI ahead of the Regals' offense. 

Concordia's defensive efforts proved resilient in every period, especially in the third, when only a single goal was allowed. Jaden Soto was unstoppable between the bars. The sophomore goalie recorded an impressive 16 saves over the course of the match. Effectively, blowing her latest career-high out of the water. 

Graduate student Mattie Herzog's fierce attitude in the water resulted in three steals overall and Sierrah Ferguson got in on the action with two of her own. 

Despite fighting tooth and nail for the win, Concordia narrowly fell to Cal Lutheran in overtime. The final score was CUI 10 Cal Lutheran 11.

NEXT UP: Concordia will take on Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 11 am.

CLICK HERE for the FULL Concordia women's water polo schedule.