Photo by samsphotoservices.com

The Tigers are hot! In their first conference game since March 8th, the Tigers received their third consecutive win against Whittier College last Wednesday, March 22nd. After an intense first quarter with Whittier up by two goals, Occidental came back and ended the first half 8-7 Tigers. First-year midfielder, Maeve Moylan, had four of the Tigers' eight goals in the first half and went on to score one more in the 4th quarter. Alongside her, junior captains Halle Knutson and Bella Kwan both completed a hat trick. Knutson had four goals and Kwan had three. 

Of the Tigers' 18 goals, three were free position shots and seven were assisted. Sophomore attacker, Ella Acker, had three assists for the Tigers connecting with Knutson, Kwan, and Moylan. Overall, seven Tigers scored!

Almost the entire first eight minutes of the game was spent battling on the Tigers' defensive end before Maeve Moylan scored the first goal of the game. After losing the first draw control, the Tigers' defense held the Poets' attack for three and a half straight minutes with sophomore goalie Andie Angelacci making five crucial saves during that time. After winning SCIAC defensive athlete of the week because of her performance against Keene State and Salem State, Angelacci was on fire against the Poets. She had fifteen saves over the course of the game and ended up saving 58% of the shots she saw. She, along with sophomore defender Abilene Prewitt, had two caused turnovers for the Tigers. Additionally, first-year defender Sydney Acol had three caused turnovers. Acol's most remarkable interception was during one of Whittier's clears. Acol jumped in the air and intercepted the ball righty offside! It was an impressive display of both skill and athleticism.

While the Tigers fought hard in the first half, it was the third quarter that decided the game. Occidental went up by six goals against Whittier and solidified their win. The Tigers scored seven consecutive goals this quarter and went on to win the game 18-11.