WHITTIER, Calif. (Apr. 11, 2024) – Sophomore goalie
Candace Tezak (La Habra, Calif. / La Habra) of the Whittier College women's water polo team had herself a day against the University of Redlands on Wednesday night.
The sophomore transfer made 13 saves, two steals, and scored a goal as the Poets beat the Bulldogs, 6-5 to earn their fourth SCIAC victory of the season. Tezak of course, didn't do it alone on Wednesday night, as she had plenty of help from the defenders in front of her, such as sophomore
Chloe Gardhouse (Agoura Hills, Calif. / Agoura), junior
Haley Kivett (Beaverton, Ore. / Southridge) and senior
Jaycee Morris (Lake Elsinore, Calif. / Temescal Canyon | La Salle University).
Morris, in particular, made a key block in the first period that helped set up Tezak's goal at the end of the frame. With just seconds remaining in the quarter, Tezak joined the rush and fired a dart past the opposing keeper to bring the Poet fans in attendance to their feet. Morris also made a huge interception in the waning seconds of the third quarter that prevented the Bulldogs from tying things up.
All told, the Bulldogs didn't go away. They cut the the Poets' lead to 5-4 just before the half way point in the final period, forcing Whittier into a defensive stance down the stretch. At the same time, the Bulldogs never led, with the Poets successfully keeping the visitors on the end of their punches for the full 32-minute game. As the game wore on, Tezak got stronger, stopping several would-be Redlands goals on the penalty kill.
The theme of hustle and heads-up plays continued into the game's final seconds. With under a minute to go, Kivett had an opportunity to ice the game with one final tally, but fired a hard shot off the crossbar instead. However, the ball landed five feet to her right, and she outhustled the Redlands defender to regain possession and a fresh shot with only a two-second differential with the game clock. As much as Redlands pressed, they were unable to regain possession until it was too late.
Morris, along with Kivett, led the offense with two goals apiece while sophomore attacker
Alexandra Haluska (Brea, Calif. / Brea Olinda) also got on the scoresheet with a laser from the right side late in the second frame. Gardhouse, meanwhile, led with two assists.
Head Coach Preslav Djippov and the Poets will take to the road one last time in 2024 when they meet up with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Wednesday, Apr. 17 for a 7 p.m. game.
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