Claremont, Calif. - Alyssa Woodward (pictured) scored on a penalty shot on the first possession of sudden death overtime as the Pomona-Pitzer Women's Water Polo team defeated CMS 8-7 in the regular season finale at Axelrood Pool.

With the win, the Sagehens improve to 20-13 overall and 7-1 in the SCIAC, earning the top seed in next weekend's SCIAC Tournament by pulling into a tie with CMS and handing the Athenas their first conference loss. Pomona-Pitzer earns the top seed based on the head-to-head win.

Pomona-Pitzer led 7-6 after the end of the third quarter, but CMS was able to tie the score up midway through the final stanza and earned a stop on the last Sagehen possession. Neither team was able to score in the first overtime sessions, although Pomona-Pitzer did have a goal disallowed with nine seconds left in the second overtime that could have won it.

CMS won the opening sprint in sudden death, but the Sagehens were able to steal the ball on the perimeter and set up their offensive play along the right side of the pool. Pomona-Pitzer lobbed a pass into the middle, and CMS was whistled for an infraction in front of the goal, resulting in a five-meter attempt. Woodward took the shot and buried it for her third goal of the afternoon to give the Sagehens the win.

Woodward had three goals and Mahalia Prater-Fahey and Vicky Gyorffy had two goals apiece to lead the way for the Pomona-Pitzer offense, while Sallie Walecka had 13 saves in goal.

The Sagehens jumped out to a 4-0 lead early behind four different goal scorers (Woodward, Prater-Fahey, Gyorffy and Sarah Westcott), but CMS came all the way back to take a 6-5 lead with 3:25 left in the third. Woodward and Prater-Fahey responded with goals on the next two possessions to give the Sagehens back the lead heading into the final period.

Rose Koper tied the score for CMS with 6:25 left in the fourth, and neither team could find the net for a span of 13 minutes, including almost seven minutes of scoreless overtime, before Woodward's five-meter ended it in sudden death.

Pomona-Pitzer will open play at next weekend's SCIAC Tournament at Whittier against the winner of the opening contest between the 8-9 seeds. CMS will be the second seed, setting up a possible rematch in the finals if both teams can get through the first two rounds unscathed.