The
Pomona-Pitzer women’s water polo team met mixed results at the Posada
Royale Invitational, held at California Lutheran University Friday, Feb. 28 and Saturday, March 1. The Sagehens (8-4,
0-0 SCIAC) saw their four games decided by a total of seven goals, with the
team eventually winning two and losing two to cap off a hotly contested weekend of
action.
P-P opened the tournament Feb. 28 with a game against Villanova University. The Wildcats, who made the long trip out west from Pennsylvania, had not won a game all season, with a record of 0-11. Any hopes that they would be an easy opponent for the
Sagehens were disabused in the first half, however, as the Wildcats began reining in P-P. At halftime, affairs were tied up 6-6, and the Sagehens knew that they had
a game on their hands.
As the second half unfolded, P-P began to kick into
gear and create some breathing space. Alyssa Woodward PZ ’15, Brenda Iglesias PO
’14, and Carter Grant PZ ’15 each scored to stretch the lead to 9-6.
The Sagehens would not find the net
for the rest of the game, but ended up not needing any more offensive
firepower as the defense stifled a potential Villanova comeback. The Wildcats
scored with seconds left in the third quarter and once more in the fourth, but
failed to find the tying goal.
P-P faced California State University, Bakersfield, in their next match, which was also saw a competitive first half. P-P opened up leads of 2-0 and 3-1 in the
first quarter before being pegged back by Bakersfield to end the period tied 3-3.
In the second quarter, it was the Roadrunners who briefly threatened to
open up a commanding lead as they inched ahead by a couple goals on a few
occasions, but by halftime the score
stood at 7-7.
Just as in the Villanova game, it was the third quarter that proved
crucial in this encounter, although unfortunately for the Sagehens, it was
Bakersfield who blew the game open with five unanswered goals. With three
minutes left in the third quarter, the Roadrunners were ahead 12-7, and it
looked as if the game was all but over.
Mounting a serious comeback effort, key scorers Woodward and Sarah Westcott PO ’15 sparked a four-goal run that brought the
margin to just one goal with under five minutes to go in the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately,
the Sagehens were not able to find the equalizer. Bakersfield scored to take a
two-goal lead once more, and held on to secure the 13-12 result.
After the tough loss, P-P was determined to regain their winning ways. They returned
for day two of the invitational for a game against Azusa Pacific University, a team that the Sagehens defeated just two weeks before in a tight 11-10 result at the California Baptist University Lancer Invite. In that game, Azusa come out of the blocks strong, and they did the same on Saturday, scoring the first two goals of the
game.
Wescott, who scored four against Bakersfield, and Mahalia Prater-Fahey PO
’15 led the offensive charge in this game as they each notched two, but the Sagehens
were never able to take the lead against the tough Azusa squad.
The score
stood 5-4 at halftime, but even though P-P brought the margin down to one
goal on six different occasions, the Cougars stayed solid. P-P
was outscored 2-3 in the third quarter to fall behind 6-8, and, remarkably,
neither school found the net in the fourth quarter, consigning the Sagehens to
their fourth loss of the year.
Desperate to avoid a third straight loss, P-P
played its final game of the invitational against Sonoma State University. The Seawolves scored the first goal of the
game, but from there the Sagehens largely dominated affairs.
Woodward rattled
off three straight scores, and Megan Snow PO ’16 and Hope Grant PZ ’17 added
one each to take the halftime score to 5-1. Sonoma State found the path to
the P-P goal, but was blocked by goalie Ahsha Earwood PZ ’17, who turned in a
sensational performance as she pulled off 16 saves to keep the Sagehens in a
commanding position.
P-P then built up a commanding 7-2 lead in
the third quarter to put the result nearly beyond a doubt. Sonoma
State made the final score line look more respectable as they scored three
times in the fourth quarter, including a buzzer beater in the dying seconds, but P-P emerged victorious.
The 7-5 win for the Sagehens was a fine confidence booster for P-P and will serve as good preparation for the team, which will co-host the
Claremont Convergence Tournament starting today at Haldeman Pool.