Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College Women's Water Polo team picked up a big win Saturday morning notching their first Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) victory holding off Chapman University 13-10.

The Purple & Gold have won two of their last three improving to 3-8, 1-2 SCIAC.

Amelia Gregorio (Aventura, FL) and Marina Daroca Bazan (Barcelona, Spain) got the Poets on the scoreboard quickly within the first three minutes.  But Chapman was able to counter with three of their own to hold a slight 3-2 edge after the first period.

Hannah Rodriguez (Riverside, Calif.) started off the scoring to begin the second stanza getting fed inside from Daroca Bazan that deadlocked the game.  CU went back on top soon after but again it was short-lived as Kendyl Riley (Huntington Beach, Calif.) would connect from inside sending the game into a deadlock at the break.

Eight goals were tallied in the third period with two coming in the final :11 seconds as it was a back and forth battle through the eight minutes.  Goals for the Poets came from Kaitlin Vera (Fullerton, Calif.), Daroca Bazan, Gregorio, and Lindsay Shoaff (Costa Mesa, Calif.).

In the fourth, Vera added her second of the game to put WC on top by one.  Chapman then answered on a powerplay to tie things up but that would be the closest they would get as Whittier would finish off the final 6:05 on a 4-1 run, with connections from Rodriguez, Anastacia Gonzalez (Montebello, Calif.), Vera, and Veronica Ramirez (La Habra, Calif.).

Noa Cravens (Laie, HI) started and played 24:00 in goal finishing with three saves and two steals.  Whittier outshot Chapman 34-25 and was 3-8 on power play opportunities.        

Whittier travels this Tuesday, March 13 to take on Occidental College beginning at 7:00pm.  They then return to the Lillian Slade Aquatic Center this Thursday, March 15 when they host the University of Redlands at 7:00pm.