SANTA CLARA, CA – The Pomona-Pitzer Women's Water Polo Team achieved a victory and earned a loss on their first day of the Bronco Invitational tournament as they prevailed 14-7 over Cal State Monterey Bay and fell 9-15 to Marist on Saturday.

Season Impact: With the win and the loss, the Sagehens continue their season 3-6 overall and 1-0 in SCIAC play.

Pomona-Pitzer 14, Cal State Monterey Bay 7

The Sagehens were led by Sydney Bown, who earned a four-goal haul by scoring four goals throughout the game. Mia Amberger, Sara Archer, Paityn Richardson each netted two, and Kailoa Kerber, Brienz Lang, Ayva Magna, Chloe Mei Espinosa each netted one.

Pomona-Pitzer started strong against Monterey Bay with 8 first half goals, scoring four in each period. Bowns started the scoring for this match by netting a goal on a powerplay with 7:21 left on the clock. Richardson followed and dented the twine with 6:05 left on the clock. While the Otters managed to break through the Sagehen defenses, Richardson and Bowns replied by netting goals at the with 4:44 and 3:24 left on the clocks, respectively. Pomona-Pitzer established their lead early as they concluded the first period ahead of Monterey Bay 4-2. The Sagehens continued their momentum in the second quarter. Bowns started the scoring with a penalty goal with 7:36 left on the clock and a second goal with 5:23 left on the clock. Espinosa followed her lead and netted a goal with 6:54 left on the clock. Despite the pressure from Monterey Bay, Pomona-Pitzer buttressed their lead with a goal from Magna with 1:32 left on the clock. The Sagehens bolstered their lead over the Otters and entered halftime ahead 8-4.

The Sagehens continued playing strong into the second half and secured six more goals in the third and fourth quarters. Lang started the scoring in the second half and secured a penalty goal with 6:58 left on the clock. Amberger followed with two back-to- back goals with 5:22 and 3:55 left on the clock. Scoring traded between the two teams throughout the rest of the period, but goals from Archer and Kerber kept the Pomona- Pitzer heading alive. The strong efforts from the Sagehens left them with a striking lead of 13-6 as they entered the final period.

The Sagehens continued pushing forward in the fourth quarter. While neither side was able to convert in the beginning of this heated period, Archer found the back of the net during a powerplay with 2:22 left on the clock. Thanks to their strong efforts on  allfronts, Pomona-Pitzer concluded their first game of the day with a 14-7 victory over Cal State Monterey Bay.

Pomona-Pitzer 5, Marist 10

The Sagehens were led by Katie Hugar, who earned a hattrick by netting three goals throughout the game. Celia Young also had a multigoal game and scored two. Mia Amberger, Sydney Bowns, Bella McGowan, and Ayva Magna scored one. Pomona-Pitzer gained a good start in the first half and earned five goals in the first and second quarters, one in the first and three in the second period. Marist struck first and established an early lead. However, a last-minute goal from Hugar with 0:28 left on the clock established the Sagehen presence. Pomona-Pitzer closed out the first period trailing Marist 1-2. The Sagehens began to make waves in the second quarter. Hugar started the scoring for this period by netting a goal with 7:21 left on the clock to tie the score. Bowns followed suit and secured a goal with 4:43 left on the clock to put Pomona-Pitzer ahead 3-2. Young then earned two back-to-back goals, one on a powerplay and one off a penalty with 4:01 and 2:24 left on the clock, respectively. While the Red Foxes attempted to catch up, the Sagehens stood on their ground and kept their lead 5-4 as they entered halftime.

Amberger started the scoring in the second half by scoring a goal on a powerplay with 5:58 left on the clock. While Marist managed to break past the Pomona-Pitzer defenses and tie the score, Hugar responded by netting a goal with 3:52 left on the clock. The 
scoring traded off between both teams, and Magna and McGowan managed to secure goals with 2:35 and 2:01 left on the clock, respectively. Still, Marist continued putting pressure on the Sagehens and concluded the third period in a 9-9 tie. In the final period, Marist continued to break through the Pomona-Pitzer defenses adamantly while shutting out the Sagehens. Pomona-Pitzer was unable to convert and lost their lead. They concluded their second game of the Bronco Invitational with a 9-15 loss to Marist.

Up Next: The Sagehens will continue playing in the Bronco Invitational Tournament where they will face San Jose on Sunday, February 15th at 9:00 AM PST.