by Avery Raimondo '15

Claremont, Calif. – Senior Martha Marich (Mclean, Va. - pictured, photo by Robert Chew) scored 11 goals to propel the Pomona-Pitzer Women's Lacrosse team to a 26-18 victory over visiting Whittier on Saturday morning at Merritt Field.

The win, the Sagehens' first of 2012, came in a high-scoring, energetic home opener, in which Pomona- Pitzer staved off a series of spurts from their opponents before ultimately breaking away in the game's final ten minutes.

Marich, after scoring six goals in Pomona-Pitzer's loss to CMS, continued her impressive start to the new season and return from a knee injury that curtailed her junior campaign. The Poets were unable to slow Marich as she effortlessly sprinted across the field and waltzed past defenders. Of course the former national leader in goals had no problem finishing her opportunities, scoring on almost three-fourths of her shots.

A quick Marich hat-trick following freshman Catherine Dugan (Lexington, Mass.) converting a chance a minute into the game put Pomona- Pitzer up four with only six minutes played. From there, though, Whittier settled down, capitalizing on successful face off and transitions before the Pomona-Pitzer defense could contain the Poets' attack. Despite the Sagehens scoring 14 first-half goals, they never developed more than a five-goal advantage and Whittier ultimately went into half only down by three.

Whittier caught their hosts slumbering at the start of the second half and the Poets whittled away the deficit. A Dana Barraco goal with about twenty minutes left in the game tied the score at 15. The Sagehens finally awoke and reclaimed the match. A Marich goal put Pomona-Pitzer up once again before sophomores Jana London (Chevy Chase, Md.) and Logan Galansky (Denver, Colo.), who tallied a combined nine goals in the win, scored twice and once respectively to deliver the Saghens an insurmountable lead at 19-15.

The Poets couldn't sustain the same attack that helped them even the score and the Sagehens extended the distance between Whittier and them. Marich, Galansky, and London sustained their pressure on Whittier's goalie and put away their opportunities. Freshman Julie Necarsulmer (Kennett Square, Pa.), who played defense for most of the game, then notched her first collegiate goal with 1:16 left on the clock, giving Pomona-Pitzer the eight-goal advantage that held to the contest's conclusion.

With the win, Pomona-Pitzer is now 1-1 both overall and in SCIAC. The Sagehens will now travel to Redlands on Wednesday looking to obtain another victory and their first winning record of the season.