Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College Poets women's water polo team wrapped up their non-conference schedule Tuesday evening at the Lillian Slade Aquatic Center when they beat Div. I Siena 7-5 before opening up Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play with a win against Caltech 12-1.
With the wins the Poets improve to 11-15, 1-0 SCIAC.
Game 1 (W, 7-5 – Siena)
The Poets got things underway with a victory over Div. I Siena 7-5. The Saints opened up the scoring with an early goal from Stephanie Bundas but saw the Poets tack on a goal from Monique Dorado with ten seconds to go in the first capitalizing off of an exclusion.
Whittier came out in the second and held the Saints scoreless, while finding the back of the goal themselves from Jae Crabtree that gave the Purple & Gold a 2-1 advantage into the half.
In the second half the offense from both teams came alive with Whittier adding four goals in the third including three unanswered from Sabrina Carlile (2), Laurel Pinkley, and Cynthia Castillo. This put the Poets in front 6-3 and they didn't look back as they held on for the two goal victory despite Siena outscoring the Poets 2-1 in the final quarter.
Game 2 (W, 12-1 – Caltech)
In the nightcap the Poets opened up SCIAC play with the Beavers from the California Institute of Technology and came away with the lopsided 12-1 victory holding the Beavers scoreless in the second half.
Whittier jumped out of the gates quickly scoring the first four goals within a three minute span from Melanie Peel, Alyssa Rangel (2) and Crabtree before the Beavers got on the scoreboard with their lone point of the game which came from Dodd that pulled the Orange and White within three.
But this would be as close as Caltech would get as the Purple & Gold would add another two from Rangel and Carlile to close out the quarter and then another six goals that covered the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters that gave the Poets their second win on the day.
The other goals came from Meliza Rodriguez (2), Crabtree, Natalie Halvorsen-Herrera, Melissa Pinlac, and Pinkley.
Whittier now has just SCIAC games on their 2013 schedule and will return to the pool with their next matchup on the road against La Verne tomorrow evening, March 27 beginning at 5:00pm.
