ORANGE — The Occidental College women's water polo team started slowly in both of its games at the Chapman Invitational today, but in each case Oxy came from behind to win.
In the tourney opener, the Tigers over powered Cal State San Bernardino by a 13-6 margin. It was the second time this season Oxy has defeated the Cougars, having won by a 20-7 tally on opening day.
Today it was the Cougars getting the jump on Oxy, scoring the game's first two goals on their way to a 3-2 first quarter lead.
Oxy went on the offensive in the second quarter, scoring four unanswered goals to take a 6-3 half-time lead. As they have done throughout the early part of the season, Oxy used a balanced offensive attack with seven different Tigers scoring in the game.
Tessa Bailey-Findley (Anaheim Hills, CA) recorded her fourth hat-trick of the season, and she was joined by Katya Soot (West Albany, OR) who scored three times as well.
The third quarter saw Oxy continue to pull away, as they outscored the Cougars by a 5-0 clip. Danielle Garcia (Houston, TX) and Abigail Martinez (Pico Rivera, CA ) each scored twice to help the Tigers pull away. Garcia also finished with a game high four steals and added three assists.
The Cougars managed to rally late in the fourth, but it was too little to late as Oxy held on for the win. April DesCombes (Riverside, CA), Kelsey Shyba (Los Gatos, CA), and Lindsay Albino (Greenwich, CT) all added a goal in the game.
Junior center Nanea Fujiyama (Honolulu, HI) led the team with four assists, and added two steals. Rachel Adeleye (Elizabeth, NJ) played the first three quarters in goal finishing with eight saves. Sofie Munoz (La Crescenta, CA) stepped into the goal for the fourth quarter to pick up three saves and preserve the win.
BOX SCORE 1st 2nd 3rd 4th TOTAL
Occidental 2 4 5 2 13
CSUSB 3 0 0 3 6
GOALS SCORED:
Occidental: Bailey-Findley-3, Soot-3, Martinez-2, Garcia-2, DesCombes-1, Albino-1, Shyba-1
CSUSB: n/a
SAVES
Occidental: Adeleye-8, Munoz-3
CSUSB: n/a
Oxy's second game of the day featured a familiar opponent in SCIAC rival University of La Verne. Once again a slow start put the Tigers behind early before they went on to a 9-8 win.
La Verne scored the games first two goals and led by a 3-2 margin after the first quarter. Unlike Oxy's earlier game, the Tigers continued to struggle offensively in the second quarter, while the Leopards took advantage of some sharp shooting to keep Oxy at bay and take a 6-4 lead into the half.
The two teams played to a 2-2 tie in the third quarter, giving La Verne a two-goal advantage heading into the final frame.
From there the Tigers would turn the game around.
Oxy scored on its first possession of the fourth quarter to cut the Leopard lead to one. The Tigers then tied the game a few minutes later on a perimeter shot by Garcia. Fujiyama would find the back of the net on Oxy's very next possession to give the Tigers their first lead of the game. It was a lead they wouldn't relinquish, as the Tiger defense held La Verne scoreless for the entire fourth quarter.
Corrine Casey (Lodi, CA), Bailey-Findley, and Fujiyama each finished with two goals in the game. Bailey-Findley also led the Tigers with six steals, while Casey led the team with three assists.
Morgan McClafferty (Huntington Beach, CA), Albino, and Garcia each added a goal, while goalies Geneva Perez (Fresno, CA) and Adeleye combined for eight saves.
In spite of the scare, head coach Larry Zubrin was pleased with his team's effort down the stretch.
"You have to give La Verne credit, they played very well, but our girls stayed composed and stuck to their game plan." Zubrin said. "We tightened up our defense in the second half and finished the game strong."
BOX SCORE 1st 2nd 3rd 4th TOTAL
Occidental 2 2 2 3 9
La Verne 3 3 2 0 8
GOALS SCORED
Occidental: Bailey-Findley-2, Fujiyama-2, Casey-2, Garcia-1, Albino-1, McClafferty-1
ULV: n/a
SAVES
Occidental: Adeleye-4, Perez-4
La Verne: n/a
