Photo: Tony Leon/D3WestPhotography

WHITTIER, Calif. (Apr. 6, 2022) – Senior Bryanna Santis (Commerce, Calif. / Fullerton College) of the Whittier College women's water polo team brought the powerplay to life, taking full advantage of a few late mistakes from visiting California Lutheran University to help the Poets defeat the Regals, 13-12 in come-from-behind fashion.

The Poets endured a physical, back-and-forth game with the Regals, but in the end the Purple & Gold would clinch a SCIAC Postseason Tournament berth thanks to three unanswered goals. Santis got it done with a man-up on two separate occasions thanks to her hard shot. The Cal Lutheran netminder actually got a piece of the senior's second goal, but the momentum from the shot proved to be too much to handle as the ball landed in the water and skidded just over the line, knotting the game at 12 goals apiece with just under two minutes to play. From there, the Poets were able to shut the Regals down one more time, and find the back of the net on a third-consecutive possession thanks to senior Natasha Velez' (La Habra, Calif. / Cypress College) game-winner. Velez' shot stunned the Regals with the senior going across her body to retrieve a set-up pass from classmate Teresa Marchetti (Messina, Italy / Liceo La Farina), only to fling the ball into the netting for the final goal of the game, the most important of the game.

Whittier traded blows with its SCIAC foe for the majority of the contest, and neither team led by more than two goals at any point. The Poets were able to take their first two-score lead of the game when Santis scored off a Cal Lutheran exclusion, making the senior responsible for three of the Poets' four powerplay goals. Senior Amelia Bennett (Calgary, Alberta, Canada / Riverside City College) scored the fourth, paving the way for a 4-for-5 day for Whittier on the powerplay. Marchetti also proved to be a key offensive contributor, scoring three times for the home team with all of her success coming in the first quarter. She the scored the last of her three goals on a penalty shot. While both teams posted near-identical line scores over the second half, stellar goalkeeping from freshman Alexys Puche (Whittier, Calif. Rosary) helped spark Whittier's late-game run. Senior Lauren Tapia (Whittier, Calif. / Rosary), meanwhile, drew the start for the Purple & Gold, and had a pair of saves to go with three steals that helped ignite the home team in transition.

Head Coach David Kasa and the Poets will now have the opportunity to test themselves against their toughest Division III opponent of the season, SCIAC foe Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Saturday, Apr. 9 at 11 a.m.

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