ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Makenzie Rickerd (So., Rockford, Mich./Rockford) claimed Player of the Game recognition by scoring the deciding factor with 1:15 left in the second overtime frame as Penn State Behrend rallied back against Connecticut College, 9-8, in overtime to conclude the second day of the 2025 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III Championship at Augustana College’s Anne Greve Lund Natatorium.
Due to the victory, the Lions (6-13, 4-4 CWPA Division III) earn a spot in the championship’s Fifth Place game on Sunday, April 13, at 10:30 a.m. Central against Carthage College. The game will mark the second meeting of the year between the two programs as Penn State Behrend claimed a 17-14 win on Saturday, March 15, at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, during CWPA Division III regular season action.
Penn State Behrend – which did not compete at the 2021 CWPA Division III Championship and the 2020 season was terminated due to the COVID-19 pandemic – has a chance to tie the program’s second best all-time finish at the league championship following prior fourth (2016), fifth (2018), seventh (2013, 2015, 2017, 2024), eighth (2010, 2014, 2019, 2022) and ninth (2011, 2012, 2023) place marks at the CWPA Division III Championship.
The only four-time CWPA Division III Champion (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016), Connecticut (4-11, 1-7 CWPA Division III) will battle Grove City College at 9:00 a.m. Central for Seventh Place in the nine-team championship field on Sunday, April 13. The Camels dropped a 12-8 contest in Erie to the Wolverines back on March 8 and will aim to add an inaugural seventh place finish at the event following previous first (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016), second (2018), third (2012), fourth (2017, 2019, 2023), fifth (2010, 2024), sixth (2011) and ninth (2022) place conclusions.
The contest was tight from the opening sprint to the closing horn as neither team built a lead larger than two goals during the duration of the overtime game.
Connecticut struck first as Ainsley Cornwall (Jr., San Mateo, Calif./Aragon) (4:14) and Emma Luna (Jr., Wahiawa, Hawaii/Punahou School) (2:59, penalty shot) put the Camels ahead in the opening eight minutes. Darragh Martin (Jr., Green Lane, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) cut the Lions deficit in half at 2-1 by converting a man-up opportunity with 46 seconds left in the opening frame. However, Luna struck again with depositing a power-play point of her own with 13 ticks on the clock to return Connecticut’s lead to a pair at 3-1.
Penn State Behrend erased its deficit and pulled ahead prior to halftime as Lauren True (So., Denton, Texas/Guyer) (7:24), RIckerd (5:39) and Martin (3:51) strung together a 3-0 outburst to make it 4-3 in favor of the Lions through 16 minutes of game play.
The Lions padded their lead to 5-3 in the third quarter as Martin struck again 25 seconds following halftime.
Luna (7:43, penalty shot) and Anna Taylor (Jr., Pleasanton, Calif./Foothill) (6:06, man-up) exploited Penn State Behrend errors to help Connecticut pull even at five-all prior to Luna stroking in natural (4:55) and penalty shot (4:25) goals to provide the Camels a 7-5 lead.
The Lions rallied back as Rickerd lined in shots with 3:21 and 1:43 remaining in the fourth quarter to level the playing field at seven-all and force overtime.
In the first extra frame, Luna found the back of the cage with her sixth strike to once again put Connecticut ahead at 8-7.
The lead did not hold in the second OT period as True (2:15) and Rickerd (1:15) combined for a two goal outburst to allow Penn State Behrend to escape with a 9-8 overtime win.
For Connecticut, Luna (six goals-one assist), Taylor (one goal), Cornwall (one goal) and Melia Lorch (Jr., Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) (two assists) delivered on the offensive end of the tank to support a 15 save performance from goalkeeper Maddie Baybeck (So., Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer).
Rickerd (four goals-one assist), Martin (three goals), True (two goals), Nic Darrell (Sr., Perkasie, Pa./Pennidge) (two assists), Mikaeala Hernandez (Fr., Ontario, Calif./Chaffey) (one assist) and Susie Carrillo (Jr., Fresno, Calif./Clovis North Educational Center) (one assist) aided goalkeeper Monica Villasenor (So., San Gabriel, Calif./Pasadena) who turned away 11 shots.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | OT1 | OT2 | – | FINAL | |
| Connecticut College (4-11, 1-7 CWPA Division III) | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | 8 |
| Penn State Behrend (6-13, 4-4 CWPA Division III) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | – | 9 |
| Penn State Behrend Goals: | Makenzie Rickerd (4); Darragh Martin (3); Lauren True (2) | |||||||
| Connecticut Goals: | Emma Luna (6); Ainsley Cornwall; Anna Taylor | |||||||
| Saves: | Penn State Behrend – Monica Villasenor (11) ; Connecticut – Maddie Baybeck (15) | |||||||
| Exclusions: | Penn State Behrend – 8 ; Connecticut – 3 | |||||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Penn State Behrend – 1-for-3 ; Connecticut – 5-for-8 | |||||||
| Sprints: | Penn State Behrend – 3-for-6 (1st, 2nd, 3rd) ; Connecticut – 3-for-6 (4th, 5th, 6th) | |||||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||||
| Officials: | Steve Redding; Tiffany Ruiz-Urbanski | |||||||
Connecticut College’s Maddie Baybeck (#1) tries for a save against Penn State Behrend
Penn State Behrend’s Hope Edwards (#15)
Connecticut College’s Emma Luna (#9) defends against Penn State Behrend’s Darragh Martin (#20)
