Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College women's water polo team earned a split on the last day of the regular season schedule pushing No. 1 Pomona-Pitzer to the brink falling in triple-overtime (sudden death) 11-10 before bouncing back in the night cap to beat Chapman University 12-8 on senior day.
Whittier completes the regular season 13-18, 1-6 SCIAC, while Pomona-Pitzer finished unbeaten in SCIAC play finishing 18-16, 7-0 earning the No. 1 seed in the SCIAC Post Season Tournament, which is set to take place on April 27, 28, & 29 hosted by Whittier College.
Head Coach Justin Pudwill and the rest of the Poet squad recognized their three seniors who were playing in their final regular season home game prior to the start of the Chapman game. The seniors included Arianna Weisenburger, Katrina Thoreson, and Melissa Reynoso.
Game 1 (Pomona-Pitzer – L, 11-10, Triple Overtime)
This game marked the third time a game went into an overtime period for Whittier this season and the first time one has gone into sudden death overtime. The score remained deadlocked at 10-10 after the first two extra sessions before the Sagehens were able to prevail in the third overtime on a goal that was originally blocked by Poet Goalkeeper Mattie Winkler but somehow it managed to sneak past her and over the line for the decisive goal.
Pomona led 6-2 after the first quarter despite goals from Thoreson and Samantha Pudwill that kept the Poets in striking distance. After a scoreless second quarter Whittier came out of the half and scored three unanswered that pulled them within one at 6-5 thanks to goals from Sabrina Carlile, Reynoso, and Melanie Peel but it was soon broken by a Sagehen goal that put the lead back to two.
But Whittier answered quickly and added two goals to close out the period getting a goal from Thoreson at the 2:51 mark and then from Weisenburger in the final eight seconds of the quarter to even the score up at 7-7.
In the fourth quarter Pomona added two quick goals with just under five minutes to play to go ahead 9-7 but saw Whittier string together a rally that consisted of goals from Thoreson and Katie Vazquez that evened the score at 9-9 at the end of regulation.
Coming out in the first OT period Pomona added the go ahead goal at the 1:39 mark but saw Whittier even the score in the second OT period with three seconds remaining with a goal from Reynoso that forced a third OT.
In the sudden death frame both programs picked up their defense but Pomona managed to squeak a goal by Winkler that proved to be the eventual game winner 11-10.
Game 2 (Chapman – W, 12-8)
In the second game of the doubleheader Whittier combined for 12 goals from six different players with six of the goals coming from Thoreson. After a defensive standstill in the first quarter Whittier only held a one goal advantage after Carlile opened the scoring up with back to back goals.
In the second quarter Whittier added five goals with four of the five coming from Thoreson and got a late goal from Vazquez that extended the Poet lead to 7-4 going into the half. Coming out in the third Peel added a goal two minutes in but saw Chapman go on a 3-0 that pulled them within one at 8-7. But that's as close as they would get as Vazquez added another late goal to push the Poet lead back to two. Then in the final quarter Whittier continued to pour it on as Jae Crabtree and Thoreson put the Panthers away with three goals that secured the four goal victory.
