Photo: Tony Leon/D3WestPhotography

REDLANDS, Calif. (Mar. 30, 2022) – The Whittier College women's water polo team survived a scare from the University of Redlands on Wednesday evening, holding off the Bulldogs, 9-8, on the road.

The Poets held their opponent to under 10 goals for the sixth time in their last seven tries, an impressive accomplishment irrespective to wins and losses though they found themselves locked in a battle of moments with the home team for the game's duration. Whether they were shutting the Bulldogs down in their own end or the offense was firing on all cylinders, the Poets just couldn't seem to break away from the Bulldogs, who pushed the visitors in the fourth quarter with the game knotted at six goals apiece. 

Junior Ally Burke (Las Vegas, Nev. / Bishop Gorman) once again led the squad with three goals, while teammates Alex Lopez (Boyle Heights, Calif. / Fullerton College) and Teresa Marchetti (Messina, Italy / Liceo La Farina) each came up with two goals apiece as offensive focal points for the Poets on Wednesday. With the game tied heading into the final frame, the Poets flashed their talent, experience and killer instinct by opening the fourth quarter with a 3-1 run. As safe as the lead seemed, however, the Bulldogs got a late goal with 46 seconds to go in regulation, and subsequently began to press the Poets into a turnover that could set up the potential game-tying goal. However, senior defender Karissa Qualley (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. / Long Beach City College), who also rounded out Whittier scorers along with freshman Emily Flores (Newbury Park, Calif. / Newbury Park), fired off a shot towards the end of the shot clock, and the Poets were able to corral the ball off the save to seal the game. Freshman goalie Alexys Puche (Whittier, Calif. / Rosary) played the second half and finished with a team-best five saves. 

Head Coach David Kasa and the Poets will seek their eighth SCIAC win of the season when they host Caltech for Senior Day on Saturday, Apr. 2 at 11 a.m.

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