ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Division III No. 7-ranked Macalester College water polo team earned a pair of Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III victories at home in Riley Pool, The Scots defeated Carthage College, 8-5, in the morning before topping Washington & Jefferson College, 20-10, in the afternoon to improve to 7-3 overall and 3-0 in the CWPA.
Against Carthage, the Scots trailed 2-1 in the first quarter before first year Pooja Bucklin (Palo Alto, Calif./Henry M. Gunn) tied the game at two-all with a goal just before the end of the quarter. Sophomore Alana Nadolski (Kentwood, Mich./East Kentwood) gave Macalester a 3-2 lead with her second goal of the game, only to have Carthage tally a goal 13 seconds before halftime to tie the score again at three-all.
The third quarter was all Scots, with Bucklin, Nadolski and sophomore Kendall Strauss (Round Rock, Texas/Round Rock) finding the net for a 6-3 advantage heading into the final quarter. Nadolski and junior Kendall Coney (League City, Texas/Clear Creek) answered Firebird goals to make the final score 8-5 Macalester.
Sophomore Jayden Kratt (Palo Alto, Calif./Henry M. Gunn) registered eight saves in goal to preserve the win.
Before the game against Washington & Jefferson, the Scots honored their seniors Laurel O’Hare (Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) and Gabriela Weiner (Chicago, Ill./Whitney M. Young Magnet) as a part of Senior Day.
Once the game started, Macalester took control early with seven goals in the first quarter. Bucklin, Nadolski and sophomore Jess Palmer-Sammons (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) each found the back of the net twice in the quarter, with Weiner scoring once. Coney found the net twice to open the second quarter and extend the lead to 9-0.
The Presidents were able to tally three goals before halftime, with Bucklin scoring two more goals to make the score 11-3 in favor of the Scots at the half.
Washington & Jefferson never threatened to catch Macalester in the second half, as Coney, Palmer-Sammons, Bucklin and Strauss scored in the third quarter for a 15-6 advantage. Bucklin racked up three goals in the fourth quarter for a total of eight in the win, while Palmer-Sammons notched her fourth goal of the game and junior Olivia Dimka (Denton, Texas/John H. Guyer) scored in the final quarter.
O’Hare made six saves in the victory.
Release courtesy Macalester College Athletics Communications
