ORANGE, Calif. – A week after upsetting Division I CSU Bakersfield, the women's water polo set out to play four more formidable opponents at the 2011 Chapman Tournament. Occidental came back to Eagle Rock, 3-1 on the weekend despite cold temperatures in Southern California all weekend.
On day one, the Tigers earned a pair of victories over host Chapman, 14-3, and CSU San Bernardino, 8-6. Sunday, the Tigers dropped the opening game, 13-8, to CSU East Bay before bouncing back with a 10-6 victory over SCIAC foe Whittier.
Game one saw the Tigers jump out to a 5-0 opening period lead behind two goals apiece from Julie Monday and Nanea Fujiyama. Oxy took a 7-2 lead at the break. The Black and Orange added five more in the third quarter against Chapman, netting one final goal in the final stanza.
Monday finished with a hat-trick while Lindsay Albino, Danielle Garcia and Katya Soot each added a pair. Garcia and Fujiyama would each hand out two assists in the win while Albino and Kelsey Shyba would draw two ejections apiece.
Freshmen Sofie Munoz and Geneva Perez split time in front of the cage, recording 10 and four saves, respectively, allowing just three Panthers' scores. Tessa Bailey-Findley was a defensive nuisance all game, coming away with seven steals.
In game two of Saturday's action, the Tigers used a four-goal first quarter to hang on for an 8-6 victory. Monday and Corinne Casey each scored twice with Karie Nickle tallying two assists. Bailey-Findley drew three ejections for the Tigers.
Defensively, Nickle had a great game in the field with three blocks and a pair of steals. Fujiyama also had a field block and Monday added a game-high four steals. Rachel Adeleye, last week's SCIAC Athlete of the Week, recorded 15 saves in front of the cage and grabbed a trio of steals.
Sunday morning the Tigers dropped their only game of the weekend as they were defeated 13-6 by CSU East Bay. Unable to score in the opening stanza, CSUEB jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, adding four more to their tally to put Oxy in a 7-2 hole at the intermission.
The Black and Orange bounced back to win the third quarter, 3-1, but East Bay added four in the fourth to seal the win. Adeleye made six stops in the game. Bailey-Findley and April DesCombes each had a field block in the loss.
Occidental got another hat-trick from Monday and Nickle had three assists and three drawn ejections, but the Tigers only converted three of eight man-up opportunities.
The Tigers bounced back in the weekend finale, defeating SCIAC foe, Whittier, 10-6.
Fujiyama led the offense with a hat-trick, followed by Bailey-Findley, Monday and Nickle with two each. Garcia rounded out the scoring for the Tigers in the game. Fujiyama would add two assists as would Casey.
Adeleye played all four quarters, recording 12 saves with two steals. Nickle came away with five steals and a field block with DesCombes and Fujiyama each getting a field block as well.
Occidental (5-2) returns to Taylor Pool for their home opener on Thursday, March 3 as the Tigers host Division I Villanova at 6:00 p.m.
Article by Tracy Maple, Sports Information Director
