Claremont, Calif. - Freshman Morgan McCracken (pictured) scored the game-winning goal with 2:21 left in the second overtime and sophomore Ahsha Earwood had 11 saves and the game-clinching steal as the Pomona-Pitzer Women's Water Polo team completed a 2-0 day with a 9-8 overtime win over No. 19 UC San Diego on Friday. 

The game took place as part of the two-day Claremont Convergence Tournament, which is co-hosted by Pomona-Pitzer and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. In their first match of the day, the Sagehens defeated Fresno Pacific 11-3 as McCracken scored four goals and Earwood had nine saves and only three goals allowed. With the sweep, Pomona-Pitzer improves to 5-6 overall on the season. 

The big win of the day came against UC San Diego, which defeated the Sagehens last year in an NCAA Play-In Game. The score was tied 6-6 going in the fourth quarter, when seniors Chrissie Alving-Trinh and Sarah Westcott scored back-to-back goals to give Pomona-Pitzer an 8-6 lead. Kayla Fedler and Lauren Boyer (four goals) answered back for the Tritons, and neither team could score in the last 3:25, or in the first overtime.

Pomona-Pitzer earned a 6-on-5 on its first possession of the second extra session, though, and McCracken rifled in a shot inside the near post from just inside five meters to give the Sagehens the lead for good. Courtney Miller (16 saves) stopped a shot from Mahalia Prater-Fahey with 25 seconds left to give the Tritons one last chance, and they tried to throw a lob pass over the top of the defense, but Earwood came off her line to steal the ball, and the Sagehens were able to kill off the rest of the clock in the corner to seal the win. 

The Tritons led 3-1 early, but senior Alyssa Woodward scored on a great individual effort with 10 seconds left in the first quarter, and then neither team could score in the second as both Earwood, who saved a penalty shot in the second quarter, and Miller proved to be tough to beat in net.  

Boyer had a match-high four goals for UC San Diego, all in the second half. Woodward, Westcott and McCracken each had two goals for the Sagehens.

In the first match of the day, McCracken scored both Pomona-Pitzer goals in the first quarter, and Hope Grant broke a 2-2 tie with a goal late in the second quarter to give the Sagehens a 3-2 lead over Fresno Pacific going into halftime. However, Pomona-Pitzer broke the game wide open with the first six goals of the second half, four in the third quarter and two more from McCracken in the fourth.  

Westcott, Woodward, freshman Christina Williamson and Grant had goals in the third quarter to give the Sagehens a 7-2 lead, while Prater-Fahey and freshman Erica Halaszynski added goals in the fourth.

Pomona-Pitzer is back in action tomorrow with a pair of matches against George Washington and CSU Monterey Bay to complete its four-game weekend.