Junior utility player Taylor Whitney led the team with five goals in the weekend split at the Cal Lutheran Tournament. Courtesy: APU Sports Information
Despite the storms in southern California last weekend, the Azusa Pacific women’s water polo team started a two-day tournament strong, defeating Cal Lutheran with a score of 10-8 Friday, Feb. 28.
Freshman driver Megan Myers scored four goals in the fourth quarter, which put the Cougars in the lead. Junior utility player Taylor Whitney also hit the net three times against Cal Lutheran.
The Cougars started in the first quarter with a lead of 2-0, but the Regals came back with five goals, which put the two teams in a tie at 5-5 until the end of the third quarter.
The Cougars came back in the fourth quarter to defeat the Regals with the help of Whitney’s three goals and senior center Megan Minekime’s four ejections.
The Cougars lost their second game with a posted a score of 14-8 against No. 20-ranked Michigan.
Three of the women had hat tricks Friday, including sophomore utility player Alynn Reade’s three-goal effort in the game against Michigan.
Sophomore goalkeeper Katie Margot and senior goalkeeper Jessica Armagost stopped 16 Wolverine shots, which kept Michigan from scoring more. Junior utility player Angelina Castaneda drew five ejections in the loss and junior center Alyssa Hess helped by making two goals.
Overall, Myers finished with six goals on Friday, including three scores from Castaneda and Hess.
Azusa Pacific also began Saturday with a good start by defeating Pomona Pitzer in their first match, 8-6. The Cougars took the lead in the first quarter with a score of 3-2. The women held their ground with a 5-4 lead and by the end of the second quarter, the Sagehens were able to score twice. In the fourth quarter, the Cougars outscored the Sagehens.
Whitney hit the back of the net four times and sophomore utility player Maryann Slama contributed two goals. Minekime drew three ejections and Myers had two assists.
With 14 saves, Margot’s strong defense made scoring difficult for Pomona Pitzer. With the blocks, the Sagehens were only able to score two goals on six 6-on-5 chances.
Following the pattern from Friday, the Cougars lost their second game on Saturday against Cal State East Bay with a score of 9-7.
The women started strong with a 1-0 lead but by the second quarter, the Pioneers tied it at 3-3. The Pioneers continued to fight and scored four goals, putting them in the lead at 7-6. The Pioneers finished by outscoring the Cougars, putting the final score at 9-7.
Junior driver Lora Donaldson was able to get three steals against the Pioneers, while junior utility player Courtney Folsom and Slama each hit the back of the net twice. Reade and Castaneda also contributed with a score each in the loss.
The Cougars now have a 7-8 record and are tied for the best 15-match start in program history. Whitney scored five goals over the weekend as well as four for Slama. Margot tallied 25 saves in the two matches Saturday.
“After this weekend, I believe we came away with much more than two wins,” Donaldson said. “We truly found our team mojo when it comes to pre-game pump-ups and getting each other inspired to play our hardest.”
Azusa Pacific finished the weekend with two wins and two losses and will continue its season next weekend at the Claremont Convergence, where the team will face Long Beach State, Whittier College, Penn State Behrend and George Washington.