WHITTIER, Calif. (Mar. 27, 2024) – Sophomore center
Chloe Gardhouse (Agoura Hills, Calif. / Agoura) of the Whittier College women's water polo team made a tremendous play as the final seconds ticked down in regulation to extend Wednesday night's game against California Lutheran University.
Trailing by just one goal, the Poets had the final possession, but needed to make a play on the Regals in order to force overtime. Gardhouse did just that when junior
Haley Kivett (Beaverton, Ore. / Southridge) found her on a nice feed on the left side with only the goalie to beat. The shot came with no time to spare, but the sophomore had no problem beating the visiting goalie to force overtime in a game that featured two big momentum swings.
Whittier had to overcome adversity after jumping out to a 4-1 lead on the back of goals that came off the hands of senior leader
Jaycee Morris (Lake Elsinore, Calif. / Temescal Canyon). The center made her presence felt early, firing a clean shot into the left side of the net before notching her second goal of the game on a ball the visiting goalie got a piece of, but ultimately could not stop.
Morris, along with sophomore
Alexandra Haluska (Brea, Calif. / Brea Olinda) led with three goals apiece, and dominated the early going of the game as a physical presence in front of the opposing net. Kivett did well to find her teammates, picking up four assists as well as two drawn exclusions. As the game wore on, the depth of the Regals began to take a toll on the shorthanded Poets, though Whittier did take a 4-1 lead into the second quarter and a 5-3 lead into halftime.
Sophomore goalie
Candace Tezak (La Habra, Calif. / La Habra) made seven stops in net, and added an additional steal for good measure.
Head Coach Preslav Djippov and the Poets will be back in action this weekend with a two-game Saturday slate. They will first head to Chapman University in the morning before returning host to host the University of California, Merced for a 4 p.m. game in what is expected to be rainy conditions.
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