ORANGE, Calif. (April 29, 2023) - Despite leading 3-0 after a quarter of play and 8-7 late Saturday, Whittier fell to Chapman, eliminating the Poets from SCIAC Tournament contention on the final day of the regular season.
The hard-fought loss snapped the Poets' three-game winning streak and meant they finished tied for fourth in the SCIAC with Occidental. The Tigers hold the tiebreaker over the Poets, however, by allowing two fewer goals over the two head-to-head matchups this year.
Senior Georgia Bachiochi opened the scoring with a goal about one and a half minutes into the game. Fellow senior Samantha Nimmo then scored twice before the quarter ended to put Whittier ahead, 3-0.
The Panthers, however, scored six times in the second quarter, assuming a 6-3 advantage.
In the third, Whittier edged closer, trailing 7-6, after allowing just one goal and scoring three times: two more from Nimmo and one from senior Payton Climer.
The Poets began the third with a goal each from seniors Loren Jade Sepulveda and Molly Landon to take an 8-7 lead.
Chapman, however, scored the final three goals, going home with a competitive 10-8 victory.
Nimmo scored four goals for the Poets in her final career game, while Bachiochi (one goal and two assists) and Sepulveda (one goal, one assist, three ground balls and two caused turnovers) also finished their lacrosse careers strong.
Junior goalkeeper Haley Hughes-Gill, the reigning SCIAC Defensive Athlete of the Week, saved 15 of 25 shots she faced in the battle.
Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
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