On Wednesday, Feb. 25, Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) women’s water polo battled in the most recent iteration of the Sixth Street Rivalry, which saw P-P reclaim bragging rights in a nail-biting game with a final scoreline of 12-11. This was their second matchup of three regular-season games, following CMS winning the first game in a triumphant defensive effort.
That defeat on Jan. 31. broke the 14-year win streak the Sagehens held over the Athenas, suggesting a possible shift in the competitive balance between the two teams. Entering the second matchup, the Athenas and Sagehens shared sub-0.500 records at 3-6 and 4-8, respectively. Losses on both sides primarily came from several Division I opponents at preseason tournaments.
“I think we got better throughout the game [through] communication,” attacker Katie Hugar PZ ’29 said. “We’re a pretty talkative team, and the more the game went on, we talked and helped each other, we really fed off each other’s energy.”
CMS started strong and ended the first quarter with a lead of 4-3, with P-P equalizing to enter halftime tied at 7-7. This intense back-and-forth was nothing new — the close score was reminiscent of prior meetings between the SCIAC’s top two teams from past seasons.
“Our last game against CMS was definitely hard on us, and it really affected us as a team,” attacker Layla Szymczak PO ’28 said. “We knew that we had the potential to win, but it just didn’t result that way. This game really meant a comeback, and it tells us we have the ability to continue.”
To begin the second half, the Athenas came out hot with two consecutive goals by attacker Christina Marlow CM ’28 and utility player Jordan LaCour CM ’28.
Following CMS’s two quick goals, Hugar and utility player Sydney Bowns PO ’28 brought the score back to a tie at 9-9 with just over two minutes to go in the third.
Nearing the end of the third quarter, attacker Tatum Dwyer CM ’28 brought the Athenas back to a lead with a goal, breaking the tie to lead 10-9. The go-ahead -goal boosted the energy entering the final quarter.
“I think we did a really good job lifting each other up and working together as a team,” attacker Valerie Wraith CM ’27 said.
Fresh into the pool for the final frame, P-P seemed to close in on the victory by scoring three consecutive goals right at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Right-side player Mia Amberger PO ’26 scored less than a minute in, then Hugar drew an exclusion, and shortly after, a goal. That was the tiebreaker to give the Hens a one-goal lead, to which Szymczak expanded to bring the score to 12-10.
“My favorite moment was when we got up right after we tied,” Hugar said. “I think that really brought us over the hump and just got us where we needed to be. It gave us the push that we needed to win.”
While P-P got on a roll, scoring three unanswered goals in the fourth quarter and eventually winning the game, CMS continued to put up a good fight, underscoring the high potential the team sees for its season.
“There was a lot that went right, and there was also a lot that went wrong, but the stuff that went wrong, we will look at that and hopefully reverse that for next time,” Wraith said.
With just 14 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Caitlin Muñoz CM ’26 took a 5-meter penalty shot and brought the final score to 12-11, but that effort was too late for an Athena comeback.
Finding their groove will be key for the Sagehens going forward this season, as the energy maintained in the pool directly affects performance.
“I think we should really focus on keeping our energy up,” Hugar said. “We’re a team that really feeds off each other, and I think the more that we just are positive with each other and have a lot of energy, the better we do, and the more fun we have.”
As for the Athenas, they will look to regroup after this loss that evened their overall season record with P-P at one win each.
CMS will host La Verne on Saturday, Feb. 28, at the Axelrood Pool, whereas P-P will travel to Pasadena to face Occidental on the same day. The two teams will face off again on April 8, when CMS hosts them for a regular-season finale.
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