LOS ANGELES, Calif. – In a game that saw every Tiger jump into the pool, the Occidental College women's water polo team improved to 2-0 in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action with a 22-5 victory over the visiting Caltech Beavers.
Oxy wasted no time getting on the board as Julie Monday scored on an assist from Tessa Bailey-Findley on the Tigers' first possession of the afternoon, after Corrine Casey won the opening sprint.
Following the first of four blocks of the afternoon for starting goalie Geneva Perez, Monday added her second goal of the game. Bailey-Findley then netted her first of the day on an assist from Monday.
The next Occidental scoring opportunity saw Lindsay Albino intercepting a Beavers pass and Danielle Garcia converting the turnover into a goal for the Black and Orange mid-way through the opening period.
Albino quickly got in on the scoring as well, pushing the lead to 5-1, following a CIT timeout. Another CIT turnover, forced by Monday, turned into a goal when Karie Nickle scored her first of the game, giving the Tigers a five goal, 6-1 lead at the end of the first.
Morgan McClafferty won the second sprint for the home squad.
Senior attacker Amelia Frey was responsible for the next Oxy goal. The freshman trio of Katya Soot, Juliet Suess and Merry Sanders would account for the next three scores. Izzy Mayer found Sanders to make it a double-figure scoring effort for the Tigers with 1:32 to play in the second quarter.
Soot then grabbed a rebound off a shot that hit the post and shuffled the ball into the net before Suess scored her second of the period to give Oxy a 12-1 lead at the break.
After the intermission McClafferty won her second sprint of the game.
The offensive explosion would continue, beginning with April DesCombes finding the back of the net on a pass from Soot. Sanders and Lauren Ransom teamed up for the next Oxy goal.
Frey gave the Tigers their 15th goal of the day with under three to play in the third.
Caltech would get their second score of the day with 2:20 to play in the third.
The Tigers stormed right back as Tessa Mariano-Brofferio converted a steal into a goal 23 ticks away from the end of the third
In the fourth quarter, Suess won the final sprint of the game and Kelsey Shyba was the next Oxy athlete to add a tally to the total score. Mariano-Brofferio notched her second of the game nearly mid-way through the fourth quarter. Suess scored the next one for the Tigers.
McClafferty would give the home team its 20th goal of the game, igniting the crowd at Taylor Pool. Shyba added another seconds later.
Completing a hat-trick, while scoring the final goal of the day, was Mariano-Brofferio with just over a minute remaining in regulation.
Also earning hat-tricks today was Suess. Perez, Garcia, Mayer and Soot handed out two assists apiece as well.
Caltech got a pair of goals apiece from Karen Dowling and Hanna Dodd with Caitlin Regan rounding out the Beavers' offense.
Splitting time in front of the cage, Sofie Munoz had a pair of saves for the Tigers.
Defensively, Nanea Fujiyama and McClafferty each had four steals.
Occidental (12-8, 2-0 SCIAC) will be home on Saturday, April 9 for the middle of their three-game home stand when they host the University of La Verne. First sprint is set for 11:00 a.m.. The game will be video streamed Live.
Article by Tracy Maple, Sports Information Director
