CLAREMONT, Calif. – After a nearly two-week hiatus from competition, the No.1 ranked Occidental College water polo team traveled to Pomona-Pitzer for the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener. In a defensive battle, the Tigers came out on top, 7-4, holding the Sagehens off the board in the final half of play.

Oxy struck first as Tessa Bailey-Findley got the offense started. After two quick Pomona-Pitzer goals, Julie Monday knotted the game at 2-2 with 3:36 remaining. Neither team would add to their tally until the second quarter.

Monday and Karie Nickle added back-to-back goals early in the second stanza to put Oxy up 4-2. Pomona-Pitzer responded with a pair of goals themselves, again tying the score at 4-4.With 1:56 to play in the second Nanea Fujiyama chipped in with her only goal of the game, which was the ultimate game winner.

Following halftime, the Tigers' defensive unit held the Sagehens off the board while tacking on two more goals, one in the third and one in the fourth from Bailey-Findley and Nickle, respectively. 

Occidental recoded five field blocks, with Bailey-Findley and Nickle tallying a pair apiece with Fujiyama also adding one. The trio, along with Rebecca Hofer each came away with three steals while Danielle Garcia grabbed two.

In front of the cage, Rachel Adeleye blocked nine PP shots.

Nickle would add three assists while Monday finished with two.

Occidental (11-8, 1-0 SCIAC) will return to Taylor Pool to kick off a three-game home-stand against the Caltech Beavers on Wednesday, April 6 at 5:00 p.m. The game will be video streamed Live.

Article by Tracy Maple, Sports Information Director