SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The Brown University women’s water polo split its first day of the season at the University of California-Santa Barbara Winter Invitational. The Bears earned a 16-5 win over Ottawa University (Ariz.) before falling to Azusa Pacific University, 10-9.
Sierra Martin and Claire Pisani each scored four goals for Brown on the day and goalie Marley Presiado posted 25 combined saves.
Brown women’s water polo got its season off to a strong start, cruising to a 16-5 win over Ottawa in the season opener. Pisani was the leading scorer for the Bears with three goals and three other Bears scored two.
Katie Klein got the Bears on the board first with a goal at the four-minute mark. Brown’s next two goals came less than a minute apart with Martin and Katharine Knowles each putting one in the back of the net. Knowles got her second goal of the quarter with 11 seconds left to put Brown up 4-0 after one quarter.
Ottawa scored two-straight goals to start the second but Pisani scored her first goal to put an end to the run but it was the only goal scored for Brown in the second quarter.
After another goal from Ottawa to start the second half, Brown went on a 4-0 run over the next three minutes. Zoe King, Katie Dvonch, Bella Godlis and Claire Poissonnier all tallied goals to make the score 9-3. Two goals by Pisani closed out the third quarter to increase the lead to 11-4.
Brown added five goals in the fourth quarter all scored by different players. Weiser, Poissonnier, King, Brenna Pangelinan and Malia Honda all found the net.
Presiado earned her first win in goal this year with 14 blocks, allowing just five goals.
The Bears fell in the second game of the day versus Azusa Pacific.
Martin led the way for Brown with three goals, while six other Bears each tallied one score.
The Bears got goals from Klein and Martin in the first quarter but were down 3-2 after the first eight minutes of play. Brown got two more goals in the second, one from Martin and one from Dvonch, but Azusa Pacific scored four in the second to take a 7-4 lead into halftime.
Brown cut the lead to 8-6 after goals from Tallulah Clancy and King but APU added two more goals to end the third, taking a 10-6 lead into the final frame.
The Bears kept Azusa Pacific off the board in the final quarter and picked up goals from Pisani, Martin and Dagmara Czajka, making the score 10-9 with just over two minutes left, but Brown was unable to find the tying goal.
Presiado finished the game with 11 blocks in goal.
Release courtesy Brown University Athletics Communications
