There is never a dull moment when the Sixth Street Rivalry happens in Claremont, and last Wednesday’s water polo rendition proved no different. Under the bright lights of Axelrood Aquatics Center, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) Athenas hosted the Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) Sagehens for their one and only regular-season SCIAC meeting of the season, ending in a 7-5 victory for the Hens.
The teams came to the pool with incredibly strong resumes from the season, both boasting perfect 7-0 records in the conference. One of the teams would leave the water with their first SCIAC season loss.
CMS entered the game with an 8-game win streak, and P-P had an impressive 72-game win streak in the SCIAC dating back to pre-COVID seasons.
The stands were split between P-P blue and CMS red, while both a life-sized Stag and Athena welcomed the fans. All signs pointed to a closely contested Sixth Street classic. As expected, the teams delivered, playing in a back-and-forth nail-biter.
Brienz Lang PO ’26 broke the deadlock in favor of the Sagehens over six minutes into the game, ending the first quarter with P-P narrowly leading 1-0. Though chances were few and far between in the opening minutes, P-P goalie Zosia Amberger PO ’25 held a shutout through the first 11 minutes of the game.
“No one scored for six minutes of the eight-minute quarter,” Amberger said. “In those moments, it’s just important to keep going because we’re gonna score eventually, but we want to be the first to score.”
However, the Athenas did not let the stalemate discourage them. After Lulu Gaither PZ ’25 added P-P’s second with just under three minutes to play in the second period, two quick goals within a minute by Elise Power CM ’25 tied the game at 2-2. However, P-P’s Amberger continued to hold the Stags at bay, posting an impressive seven saves at half to accompany the goals conceded.
With three quarters played, P-P and CMS remained deadlocked, with the sides trading goals. In the third quarter, P-P saw two goals from Lang and one from Paityn Richardson PO ’27, while CMS struck back with a goal each from Caitlin Muñoz SC ’26 and Power.
P-P jumped ahead at 5-4 to end the third quarter amid heckling fans and incredible defensive showings from both teams. CMS struck back quickly to begin the fourth quarter — Muñoz neutralized the game at 5 with just over six minutes remaining.
However, miraculously, with just two minutes left on the clock, Kaylee Stigar PO ’25 rose to the occasion and scored a goal to put P-P ahead, shifting the momentum and bringing the Sagehens close to victory.
“I was just so excited,” Stigar said, recalling how she felt when she saw the scoreboard light up with 6-5. “Everything I do is for the team. We all love each other so much — when you do something, it’s for everyone. There’s no prouder moment than to see your team jump on the bench. No better feeling.”
Thanks to Stigar’s late-breaking goal and a follow-up dagger by Gaither to ice the game, the Sagehens defeated the Athenas 7-5.
While a hat-trick from Lang and eleven saves from Amberger marked the game, the players highlighted a group effort that allowed for yet another P-P victory.
“This whole season, we’ve been talking about pushing all four quarters … when we have those little wins in the pool, we really hype each other up,” Lang said. “Especially for this game, we talked about Benergy [bench energy], having a lot of energy on the bench when we’re out, to be able to encourage each other and just push as hard as we can.”
Even after the tough back-and-forth rivalry match, the Sagehens kept their foot on the pedal and went for their regularly scheduled post-game laps in the pool.
“My philosophy is always to focus on ourselves and not focus too much on the other team,” coach Alex Rodriguez said in reference to the laps. “So, the team has created some goals that they’re trying to achieve. This was actually not my call. They said, ‘We gotta do it, let’s do it … we want to just get better every day and every game.’”
Stigar spoke about the team’s intensity in training that prepares them for the difficult matchups they face in the regular season.
“We say our team is the hardest people that you’re gonna play against,” she said.
Though CMS’s strong win streak ended in Wednesday’s affair, they still boast an impressive 7-1 record in the SCIAC. In the defeat, Mason Spencer CM ’26 and Natalie Stearns CM ’26 combined for six saves, and Muñoz and Power both finished with three points each.
Defensively, CMS was only the fourth team to hold the Hens to seven goals or fewer this season.
“We’re so grateful for the rivalry — CMS is a great team, and we’re also a great team,” Stigar said, reflecting on playing in one of the last Sixth Street games of her career. “I think it just makes us, and everyone, better.”
As April commences, just a handful of conference games remain before the SCIAC tournament and Division III Nationals.
The Sagehens will host a doubleheader at home versus Chapman University and Concordia University Irvine on Saturday, April 5. That same day, the CMS Athenas will travel to California Lutheran University for more SCIAC action.
Stigar was asked to provide a motto to live by in the P-P locker room in pursuit of another undefeated SCIAC title this season. She kept it short and simple:
“They’re hungry, but we’re starving.”
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