Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Top 2 seeds No. 1 Pomona-Pitzer and No. 2 Claremont-M-S escaped their semi-final games Saturday afternoon to earn a spot in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship Game set to be played Sunday, April 27 at 2:30pm.
No. 3 Whittier will take on No. 5 Redlands in the 3rd Place Game at 1:00pm, No. 4 Cal Lutheran will face off against No. 6 Occidental at 11:30pm for 5th Place and No. 7 Chapman and No. 8 La Verne will square off for 7th Place at 10:00am.
Game 1 (Chapman – 11, Caltech – 2) – Consolation Play-In
The Beavers played one of the best opening halves of the season during the first 16 minutes of the game. Each squad was held off the scoreboard until Kelsey Spaur gave the Beavers a 1-0 edge with 3:37 left in the opening frame. Neither team found the back of the net for two-plus minutes. The scoreless streak was broken when Emiko Mizusawa tied the score at 1-1 with 1:11 left in the frame. During their final possession of the first period Chapman grabbed the lead on a Maddy Reeves connection.
With Chapman holding a 2-1 lead heading into the second quarter, the Panthers won the sprint to the start period and promptly scored on the possession. The scoreboard remained at 3-1 the rest of the period. Each team had an extra-person attack opportunity but couldn't get on the board.
In the third, Chapman pulled away adding the first goal of the period at the 6:24 mark however the Beavers answered 14 seconds later with an unassisted goal from Souyma Kannan but that would be the final tally for CIT as CU would add the final three goals of the stanza as they would take a 7-2 lead into the final eight minutes.
Connie Hsueh tallied a game high 17 saves for the Beavers marking the sixth time this season the junior has blocked at least 15 in a contest.
Game 2 (Cal Lutheran – 12, La Verne – 9) – Consolation
In a rematch of the regular season finale between the Cal Lutheran and La Verne water polo teams, the result was the same though the venue was different as CLU earned a 12-9 victory.
The Regals jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first quarter and though LV scored four times in the second stanza Cal Lutheran responded with a trio themselves to take a 6-4 lead into the locker rooms. The teams would exchange three goals in the third and CLU netted three more in the final frame while the Leos tacked on two additional goals over the final eight minute period.
Cal Lutheran was led by Jordan Card who finished with a five goal game and two assists, while Amanda Jones and Tatiana McCuaig had three apiece.
For La Verne, Amber Tardiff finished with three goals to lead the offensive unit, while Catie Tuning and Lora Marquez-Salgado had two each.
Game 3 (Claremont-M-S – 9, Whittier – 7) – Semi-Final
Whittier looked to avenge their regular season 15-13 loss to the Athena's at home Saturday but costly turnovers during a stretch in the fourth would prove costly for the Purple & Gold as CMS would hold on for the 9-7 victory.
The Athena's went ahead 2-0 after the first quarter and extended their lead to 4-0 midway through the second but a 2-0 run by the Poets from Cynthia Castillo and Jenel Rivera would pull Whittier within two at the break.
Whittier continued with their run keeping the momentum in their favor adding the first two goals out of the half from Sabrina Carlile and Arlin De La Mora that evened the score at four but CMS would stop the bleeding with their own run going back out in front by two 6-4. With 3:54 to play in the third, Whittier's Isabella Gorrocino got into the mix to pull the Poets within one 6-5 right before Carlile dialed from long distance for the second time that pulled WC even at six heading into the final frame.
In the fourth and final quarter the teams swapped goals early to keep the game deadlocked at seven. The game then turned into a defensive battle for the next four minutes until CMS would add the eventual game winner at the 2:30 mark capitalizing off of a man-up situation. Less than a minute later the Athena's would get another man-up opportunity which they used to add an insurance goal before holding for the two goal victory.
Mattie Winkler for the Purple & Gold collected a game high seven saves between the posts, while southpaw Alyssa Filippelli finished with three goals for the Athena's.
Game 4 (Pomona-Pitzer – 10, Redlands – 4) – Semi-Final
Pomona-Pitzer jumped out in front 2-0 quickly in the second semi-final game of the afternoon and then extended it to 4-0 at the 7:05 mark in the second. Redlands closed to within 4-2 at the break with back to back tallies from Deandra Van Houten.
Sagehen Mahalia Prater-Fahey posted up in front of the net and scored on a blind backhand to start the second half and following another goal from Redlands' Grace Cochran Alyssa Woodward would answer for PP with two straight, one which included a buzzer beater at the end of the third quarter that put the Sagehens in front 7-3.
Hope Grant converted on a breakaway to make it 8-3 early in the fourth quarter, and after Redlands pulled within 8-4, sisters H. Grant and Carter Grant finished off the scoring to secure the 10-4 win.
Van Houten finished with a game high four goals for the Bulldogs, while Woodward, Chrissie Alving, H. Grant, and Prater-Fahey had two apiece for Pomonoa-Pitzer.
Pomona-Pitzer had played Redlands three times this season previously, once in regular season SCIAC play and twice in early-season tournaments, and had won all three by just one goal (including once in overtime). The Sagehens defeated Redlands in the SCIAC Championship match in each of the last two seasons, but will face CMS in tomorrow's final.
Game 5 (Occidental – 8, Chapman – 7) – Consolation
For the second straight day, the final game has proven to be the game to watch as Occidental would come from behind to edge Chapman 8-7 in the nightcap.
Oxy would add the first goal of the game from Lindsay Albino but would see the Panthers come alive with three unanswered over the next six minutes from Riley Ford, Emiko Mizusawa, and Emily Fong to take a 3-1 lead into the second quarter.
Oxy managed to outscore Chapman 3-2 in the second quarter to trail only by one 5-4 at the half. They would then use a stifling defense in the third to hold CU scoreless while adding two themselves to take their second lead of the contest 6-5.
In the fourth, Ford would add the equalizer and Alison Quincy would knot the game up at seven minutes later for Chapman but a man-up goal from the Tigers with 2:30 to play would seal the victory for the Black and Orange.
Sunday, April 27
1. Game 11: 10:00am La Verne (#8) vs Chapman (#7) (7th Place)
2. Game 12: 11:30am Cal Lutheran (#4) vs Occidental (#6) (5th Place)
3. Game 13: 1:00pm Whittier (#3) vs Redlands (#5) (3rd Place)
4. Game 14: 2:30pm Pomona-Pitzer (#1) vs. Claremont-M-S (#2) (1st Place)
