WHITTIER, CA – The Pomona-Pitzer Women's Water Polo team overwhelmed Whittier with a 17-3 victory over the Poets in their first SCIAC game of the season.
Season Impact: With the win, the Sagehens continue their season at 2-5 overall and 1-0 in SCIAC play.
The Sagehens were led by
Natalie Sullivan Wu, who secured a four-goal haul throughout the game.
Kailoa Kerber,
Sydney Bowns, and
Sophia Berger also had a multigoal game and each netted two.
Ayva Magna,
Layla Szymczak,
Bella McGowan,
Sara Archer,
Rasma Rotsart,
Chloe Mei Espinosa, and
Celia Young each scored one.
Pomona-Pitzer started strong against Whittier with eight first half goals, scoring six in the first and two in the second period. The Sagehens started the scoring for this game when Bowns dented the twine on a powerplay with 6:25 left on the clock. Szymczak swiftly followed suit and secured a penalty goal with 6:15 left on the clock.
Pomona-Pitzer furthered their lead with Bowns and Kerber securing a goal with even strength and a penalty goal, respectively, to bring the Sagehens ahead of the Poets 4-0. Berger and Young managed to net goals with 0:58 and 0:12 left on the clock, respectively, in the last minute of the period. Pomona-Pitzer closed out the first period with an impressive 6-0 lead. Both teams put up strong efforts going into the second quarter, and neither were able to convert. McGowan started scoring in the period by scoring a goal with 1:38 left on the clock. Berger followed and secured a goal with 1:21 left on the clock to further the Sagehen campaign. Pomona-Pitzer entered halftime ahead of the Poets 9-0.
The Sagehens kept their energy and composure as they second half and secured nine more goals in the third and fourth quarters. Mei Espinosa scored a goal on a powerplay with 7:22 left on the clock to start the scoring for the third period. Whittier attempted to play catch-up but still could not find their edge. Pomona-Pitzer responded with Archer and Magna scoring with 4:26 and 3:44 left on the clock, respectively. Sullivan Wu followed and netted three back-to-back goals with 2:38, 0:14, and 0:01 left on the clock. The Sagehens continued heading the game with a 14-1 lead over the Poets.
Kerber started the scoring in the fourth quarter by netting a goal with 5:56 left on the clock. While Whittier did break through the Pomona-Pitzer defenses, Sullivan Wu responded by beating the opposing goalkeeper and scoring a goal on a powerplay with 1:25 left on the clock. Rotsart followed suit and secured a goal with 0:55 left on the clock. Thanks to a strong effort on all fronts, Pomona-Pitzer cemented their 17-3 win over Whittier.
Up Next: The Sagehens will play CSU Monterey Bay and Marist University on their first day of the Bronco Invitational Tournament in Santa Clara on Saturday, Feb.
17th starting at 11:00 a.m. PT.
