LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Occidental College (2-4) secured a 16-14 victory over Washington & Jefferson College (0-2) at Patterson Field. The teams were tied at the half, but Occidental pulled away with ten second-half goals, including two on power plays.
The first quarter began with Occidental's
Evie Kim winning the draw control, setting up an early offensive opportunity.
Olivia Okamoto opened the scoring at 12:15, assisted by
Kelly Peir, followed by a goal from
Tirzah Rivera a minute later, giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead. Washington & Jefferson responded with a goal from Avery Byard at 7:05, assisted by Bekah Meiklejohn, and equalized with a free position goal by Ella Holland at 5:55.
Ava Whelan put the Tigers ahead again at 4:41, but Washington & Jefferson tied it at 2:02 with Mya Bolinda's man-down goal. The quarter ended with the score tied 4-4, following Anna Kloehn's late goal for the Presidents.
Aubrey Chang opened the scoring for the Tigers in the second quarter with a goal at 10:43 from a free position shot. The Presidents responded with a series of goals, starting with Brynne Stewart at 9:14, followed by Caleigh Bogats and Ella Holland, both capitalizing on man-up free position shots. Haylee Phenneger extended the lead with a goal assisted by Caleigh Bogats, bringing the score to 8-5. Okamoto narrowed the gap for the Tigers at 1:50, assisted by
Jenna Palme, closing the quarter with Washington & Jefferson leading 8-6.
Charlotte Dreyfus made several crucial saves for the Tigers, including a stop on a free position shot by Bekah Meiklejohn at 0:49.
Occidental staged a strong comeback in the third quarter, erasing an earlier deficit against the Presidents. Mya Bolinda opened the scoring with a goal at 13:42, assisted by Ella Holland, to extend the visitors' advantage. However, the Tigers responded with a series of goals, starting with
Kelly Peir at 10:00 and followed by
Charlotte Franklin's free position goal at 8:50. Okamoto further bolstered Occidental's momentum with consecutive goals at 7:31 and 6:50, the second assisted by Peir. Chang capped the scoring for the Tigers with a man-up, free position goal at 4:41. Despite late goals from Caleigh Bogats and Bekah Meiklejohn, the Presidents could not regain the lead, ending the quarter at an 11-11 tie.
The final quarter saw the Tigers secure a narrow victory with a 5-3 scoring advantage.
Ava Whelan initiated the scoring at 12:26, followed by Rivera's goal at 10:32 with an assist from Okamoto. Shortly after, Okamoto scored again, assisted by Rivera, at 10:06, extending the Tigers' lead. Despite the Presidents' attempts to close the gap with goals from Anna Kloehn and Mya Bolinda, Chang delivered a crucial free position shot at 5:44. Okamoto sealed the game with another free position goal at 2:17, ensuring the Tigers' 16-14 win.
Occidental Top Performers
Aubrey Chang
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- 4 goals
- 1 game-winning goal
- 4 free position goals
Olivia Okamoto
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- 6 goals
- 1 assist
- 8 shots on goal
Tirzah Rivera
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- 2 goals
- 2 assists
- 6 shots on goal
