CLAREMONT, Calif. — The Brown University women’s water polo team swept past Division III No. 3-ranked Whittier College, 11-7, and host/Division III No. 4 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, 14-9, at C-M-S’ Axelrood Pool in the second and third games of its eight-day, eight-game spring break trip to the state of California.
The Bears used a 7-0 run to defeat the Poets in their first game before outscoring the Athenas, 10-3, over the second and third quarters in their game two victory, opening their trip with three wins and extending their overall win streak to four games.
“This weekend was a great way to start our trip out here in California,” said Brown head coach Felix Mercado. “We still have a lot of things we want to work on, but it’s great to be able to start the week off with three wins.”
Senior McKenna Miller (Danville, Calif.) paced the Bears with six goals on the day, including four goals against Whittier. Between the two games, senior Maigrie McDougal (Sacramento, Calif.) and freshman Dagmara Czajka (San Diego, Calif.) scored five and four goals, respectively.
In game one, Miller scored four goals to propel Brown past Whittier.
With the score tied at 3-3 with 7:31 to go in the second quarter, the Bears used a 7-0 run to take a 10-3 edge on the Poets – the No. 3 ranked team in Division III – with 2:29 left in the third quarter on their way to the win.
Miller totaled four ejections drawn and two steals alongside her quartet of goals, while McDougal compiled two goals, two field blocks and two ejections drawn.
Freshman Katie Klein (Lafayette, Calif.) netted two goals while junior Lexi Atwell (La Jolla, Calif.) and Czajka each notched a goal and an assist.
Sophomore Carissa Perez (Pico Rivera, Calif.) dished out a team-high four assists, sophomore Lily Keck (La Jolla, Calif.) registered two assists and two steals, and senior Allison Woo (Arcadia, Calif.) scored a goal.
In the cage, junior goalkeeper Lauren Burns (Long Grove, Ill.) made 14 saves with two assists.
The Bears opened the game with a 2-0 lead behind goals from Czajka and Klein before a tally from Woo gave Brown a 3-1 edge. The Poets scored the final goal of the first quarter and the initial marker of the second stanza to knot the score at 3-3.
Brown responded with a 7-0 run to take a 10-3 lead late in the third quarter. The streak began with three straight goals to close the second quarter behind markers from McDougal, Atwell, and Miller, giving the Bears a 6-3 advantage at the break.
The Bears then notched the first four goals of the third quarter. Klein and McDougal started the half’s scoring before Miller netted back-to-back goals to cap the run.
Whittier pulled within 10-5 in the fourth quarter prior to Miller’s fourth goal of the game. The Poets netted the final two goals of the game.
Taking on Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the day’s finale, McDougal and Czajka each scored a hat trick as Brown beat Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
Trailing 3-2 after the first quarter, the Bears outscored the Athenas – the No. 4 ranked team in Division III – 10-3 over the second and third stanzas to bring a 12-6 edge into the final frame.
McDougal added two assists to her trio of goals, while Czajka posted three steals and two field blocks alongside her three goals.
Miller compiled two goals, three assists, and four ejections drawn, while senior Carmen Rosas (Schaumburg, Ill.) and sophomore Riley Hughes (Evanston, Ill.) each scored two goals.
Sophomore Carissa Perez (Pico Rivera, Calif.) tallied a goal and three assists, and freshman Katie Klein (Lafayette, Calif.) registered a goal, two assists, and two steals.
Freshman goalie Marley Presiado (Newport Beach, Calif.) blocked nine shots.
Rosas netted a pair of goals in the first quarter, but the Bears trailed the Athenas 3-2 at the end of one.
A 3-0 run from the Bears behind goals from Klein, McDougal, and Perez pushed the visitors ahead 5-3 in the second quarter. After a CMS tally, Czajka closed the stanza’s scoring to stake Brown to a 6-4 advantage at the intermission.
The Bears netted the first three goals of the third quarter behind a pair of markers from McDougal and a tally from Miller to gain a 9-4 edge. The Athenas charted two goals in the quarter, but a goal from Hughes and two tallies from Czajka extended Brown’s lead to 12-6 heading to the fourth quarter.
Following a CMS marker to open the final frame, goals from Hughes and Miller made Brown’s margin 14-7 with 2:35 remaining. The Athenas posted the contest’s final two goals.
Release courtesy Brown University Athletics Communications
