Championship Game between No. 1 Whittier College and No. 3 University of La Verne:
The day concluded with a hard-fought match between the top-seeded Whittier College Poets and the No. 3 University of La Verne Leopards, with the Poets pulling away in the second half to capture their second-consecutive Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championship. After a back-and-forth first half, Whittier lit up the scoreboard with five goals in the third period and four scores in the final frame to secure the 17-12 win.
Leading by a score of 5-4 through the first period, the Poets took a two-goal lead for the first time with a goal by junior lefty Jenel Rivera (Whittier, CA) with 5:01 left on the clock.
The teams traded scores over the next few possessions, before Whittier tacked on a late goal by junior attack player Isabella Gorrocino (East Los Angeles, CA) to make it 8-6 at the midway point of the game.
During the third and fourth frames, the Poets out-scored the Leopards 9-6 to stay comfortably in front for the title victory. Senior attack player Angelica Hernandez (Pico Rivera, CA) came alive with a four-goal showing during the second half, while Whittier gained individual scores from five other people.
Overall, sophomore driver Candice Vorbeck (St. Louis, MO), senior center Catie Tuning (Hacienda Heights, CA), and senior utility player Emily Randall (La Verne, CA) each recorded two goals for the Leopards.
Junior goalkeeper Caitlin Bronzan (Brentwood, CA) patrolled the Poet cage, making three saves. For La Verne, junior goalkeeper Cambria Serrano (Torrance, CA) recorded five saves in a complete-game showing.
With the title, Whittier (26-7, 11-0 SCIAC) now earns the SCIAC's automatic qualification to the NCAA Championships. La Verne's season ends with an 18-6 overall record and an 8-3 showing in SCIAC.
Seventh-place Match between No. 6 University of Redlands vs. No. 8 Occidental College:
The No. 6 University of Redlands Bulldogs overcame a three-goal deficit to push past the No. 8 Occidental College Tigers in the seventh-place match on Sunday by the score of 10-7. After a slow start, the Bulldogs made the necessary adjustments to tie it up in the third period and then closed out the game on a 4-1 run to secure the victory.
The Tigers jumped on the board with goal by junior utility player Carly Zurcher (Elkins Park, PA) during their first possession of the game.
After an Oxy exclusion, the Bulldogs took advantage of the power play with a goal by senior attack player Annie Kinney (Newport Beach, CA) to even the tally at one apiece with 5:06 left in the opening stanza.
However, Occidental rallied for back-to-back scores to earn a 3-1 advantage after eight minutes of action. Senior utility player Lizzy Kosin (La Grange Park, IL) and senior attack player Nina Wheeler (San Anselmo, CA) each notched a goal for the Tigers.
Oxy remained in front through the end of the second period, but Redlands stayed within in striking distance with a two-goal deficit at the break. Kinney and junior defender Chum Alvarez-Zakson (Santa Monica, CA) recorded critical netters for the Maroon and Gray.
Following Head Coach Chris Gielen's inspirational halftime speech, the Bulldogs came out with a renewed sense of urgency and proceeded to score twice to open the third stanza. Freshman attack player Breanna O'Dea (Rowland Heights, CA) found just enough space on her first goal of the game, while Kinney evened the count at five apiece with another score.
From here, the teams traded goals to close out the third with a 6-all tie.
During the fourth frame, Redlands stepped up defensively to hold the Tigers to just one score. On offense, the Bulldogs gained quality goals from freshman utility player Rachel Nelson (San Juan Capistrano, CA), senior utility player Taylor Christie (Anaheim, CA), and Kinney to garner the win.
The Maroon and Gray continued its two-goalkeeper approach, with senior goalkeeper AC Lopez (Northridge, CA) recording five saves and freshman goalkeeper Kelly Grosswendt (Newbury Park, CA) racking up eight stops in the final two periods.
For Oxy, junior goalkeeper Anna DeGroot (Sunnyvale, CA) continued to take care of business in the cage with nine saves in a complete-game effort.
Zurcher led the Tigers with a hat trick, while Kinney topped all players with four scores.
Redlands finished the year with a record of 8-24 and a 4-7 conference mark.
Occidental completes the season at 4-14 overall and 2-10 in SCIAC.
Fifth-place match between No. 7 Cal Lutheran University vs. No. 4 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges:
The No. 4 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Athenas finished out the SCIAC Championship Tournament with a hard-fought 9-7 win over the No. 7 Cal Lutheran University Regals in today's fifth-place match. After taking an early lead, the Athenas held off a late push by CLU and prevailed in the tight match.
CMS jumped on the board with a goal by sophomore attack player Christine Hu (Walnut, CA). The Athenas made it 2-0 less than 30 seconds later when sophomore attack player Claire Baxter (Riverside, CT) found the back of the net.
CLU responded with consecutive scores of its own to tie it up at 2-2, as senior utility player Amanda Jones (El Dorado Hills, CA) provided the Regals' fire power.
But the Athenas answered right back with another two-goal spurt.
After the teams traded single scores in a defensive-heavy second stanza, CMS stayed in front with a 7-4 advantage through the third. Sophomore attack player Roxy Kiessling (Honolulu, HI) accounted for the Athenas' two netters during this frame.
However, the Regals refused to go quietly, as they pulled within in one with 5:11 remaining off of goals by senior center-defender Lauren Schackelford (Goleta, CA), freshman attack player Mardell Ramirez (Santa Monica, CA), and sophomore attack player Cindy Delic (Palm Desert, CA).
Nonetheless, CMS took care of business on both ends of the pool and gained an insurance goal from freshman utility player Tess van Hulsen (Palo A lot, CA) to hold on for the win.
CLU's senior goalkeeper Gina Merry (West Hills, CA) put together a six-save outing, while CMS looked to sophomore goalkeeper Mariah Mastrodimos (Rancho Santa Fe, CA) to rack up eight stops in the win.
CMS completes the season with a 9-19 record and a 5-6 mark in SCIAC. CLU finishes with a 13-19 mark and a 5-7 conference record.
Third-place Match between No. 5 Chapman University vs. No. 3 Pomona-Pitzer Colleges:
The No. 3 Pomona-Pitzer Colleges Sagehens earned a 2-0 lead in the first three minutes and remained ahead of the No. 5 Chapman University Panthers to collect an 8-6 win in the third-place match of the SCIAC Women's Water Polo Championship Tournament. The Sagehens utilized a well-balanced attack that included seven difference goal-scorers, as well as an impressive last line of defense in junior goalkeeper Ahsha Earwood (Los Angeles, CA), who racked up nine saves in the win.
Amidst a defensive battle, the Sagehens garnered a slight 2-1 advantage through the first period off of scores by senior defender Megan Snow (Covina, CA) and freshman attack player Natalie Hill (Torrance, CA).
However, the Panthers kept things interesting with a one-goal deficit at the midway point of the game, after receiving quality goals from junior utility player Lindsey Campbell (Mission Viejo, CA) and senior Kate Staskus (San Jose, CA) late in the second stanza.
But Pomona-Pitzer quickly regrouped in the third frame to fire off a 3-0 run to build a 7-3 lead. The scoring diversity continued with netters by freshman attack player Anna Yu (Santa Clara, CA), junior center Christina Williamson (Mercer Island, WA), and sophomore utility player Jocelyn Castro (Pico Rivera, CA).
Trailing by four, the Panthers refused to walk away and proceeded to close out the game on a 3-1 run, with senior utility player Alison Quincy (San Ramon, CA) leading the charge with a pair of goals.
Despite the late push by Chapman, Pomona-Pitzer remained ahead through the final whistle to earn third place in the tournament with the 8-6 decision.
For Chapman, sophomore goalkeeper Kerry Goodspeed (Northbrook, IL) provided six saves.
The Sagehens complete the campaign with a 14-16 overall record and an 8-3 SCIAC showing. The Panthers put together a 10-20 showing and a 5-6 conference mark.
