Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Whittier College Women's Water Polo team, started off their 2016 campaign in impressive fashion going 2-0 at the Cal Baptist University Tournament Saturday beating Div. II programs Azusa Pacific (13-11) and Fresno Pacific (12-11 OT).
Whittier who won the 2015 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Title, comes into the season ranked No. 2 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Polls.
Game 1 (Azusa Pacific – W, 13-11)
Whittier scored nine of the first 12 goals with Cynthia Castillo (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Kaitlin Vera (Fullerton, Calif.) each adding three goals apiece during the run. This helped give the Purple & Gold a five goal advantage late in the second quarter as they would go into the half leading 9-4.
In the third, Azusa Pacific mounted a comeback outscoring Whittier 5-1, which included the last three of the frame, which pulled them within one 10-9, but in the fourth the Poets would score three unanswered in less than five minutes from Castillo, Vera, and Jasmine Villapando (Commerce, Calif.) that put WC in front by four.
Azusa would find the back of the goal two more times in the period but it wouldn't be enough as Whittier denied late possessions for the Cougars.
The man-up opportunities proved crucial in the first game as Whittier went 6-for-9 with the extra attacker.
Vera led the scoring effort with five goals, while Castillo totaled four. Caitlin Bronzan (Brentwood, Calif.) blocked 10 shots in front of cage.
Game 2 (Fresno Pacific – W, 12-11 OT)
In the second game of the Tournament the Poets led by two goals with three minutes to play but saw the Sunbirds battle back to force overtime. Whittier though would add three goals in OT from Jenel Rivera (Whittier, Calif.), Castillo and Jennifer Preciado (Pico Rivera, Calif.), which included the first two in the first overtime session.
This would give the Poets a much needed cushion as FPU would add two themselves in extra time as WC would hold on for the one goal victory.
After putting three goals on the board in the first quarter, the Poets would hold the Sunbirds scoreless in the second to lead 5-2 at halftime. But in the second half FPU would mount a comeback outscoring Whittier 7-4.
Rivera led the Poets scoring effort with three goals and Bronzan would tally seven saves in the win.
Whittier returns to the pool this Saturday, February 6 when they take part in the annual Whittier Mini-Tournament. Here they will take on Concordia (Calif.) at 9:00am, Occidental at 3:00pm and No. 3 USC at 7:15pm.
