RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Brown University women’s water polo closed its eight-game, eight-day spring break trip to the state of California with setbacks against No. 25-ranked/host California Baptist University, 9-7, and No. 17 University of California-San Diego, 14-8, at CBU’s Lancer Aquatics Center.
Competing against a pair of ranked opponents in the seventh and eighth games of their spring break trip, the Bears held a lead in the fourth quarter against the Lancers in game one and remained within three goals in the third quarter against the Tritons in game two before dropping both decisions.
“We have some things that we want to clean up coming out of this week, but also had some positive takeaways,” said Brown head coach Felix Mercado. “We’ll look to have a good week of practice in preparation for conference play over the next two weekends.”
Against Cal Baptist, senior McKenna Miller (Danville, Calif.) and freshman Dagmara Czajka (San Diego, Calif.) each scored two goals, while sophomore Riley Hughes (Evanston, Ill.) and freshman Katie Klein (Lafayette, Calif.) netted two goals apiece versus UC-San Diego. Junior goalkeeper Lauren Burns (Long Grove, Ill.) made 19 saves between the two games, including 14 stops against the Lancers.
Brown concluded its trip with a 4-4 record, including a 4-1 mark against unranked teams.
Facing Cal Baptist, the Bears pulled ahead 7-6 with 4:36 remaining in the game before the Lancers closed the contest on a 3-0 run.
Miller finished the game with two goals, two steals, and three ejections drawn, while Czajka posted two goals, an assist, a steal and two field blocks.
Klein notched a goal and two assists, senior Maigrie McDougal (Sacramento, Calif.) registered a goal and three ejections drawn, and junior Lexi Atwell (La Jolla, Calif.) netted a goal.
Burns stopped 14 shots in the cage to take the loss.
The Bears opened the game with a 1-0 lead before CBU took a 2-1 lead at the end of the first quarter. Second-quarter goals from Czajka and Atwell helped keep the Bears within 4-3 of the Lancers at halftime.
Brown began the second half on a 3-1 run as goals from Miller, McDougal, and Klein pushed the visitors ahead 6-5 with 2:26 to go in the third quarter. The two teams stood tied at six-all heading to the final frame.
Czajka converted a five-meter penalty shot with 4:36 left in the fourth quarter to give the Bears a 7-6 edge before the Lancers netted the contest’s last three goals to take the win.
Brown fell to CBU for the second time this season as the Lancers topped the Bears, 10-8, on March 2 in Cambridge, Mass., during the Harvard University Invitational.
In the final game of the trip and the day, Hughes and Klein netted two goals apiece against UC-San Diego.
The Bears trimmed their deficit to 10-7 in the third quarter prior to the Tritons finishing the game on a 4-1 run.
Hughes and Klein paced Brown with their pair of goals each with Klein adding two steals. Senior Carmen Rosas (Schaumburg, Ill.) totaled a goal, two steals and four ejections drawn.
Sophomore Carissa Perez (Pico Rivera, Calif.) notched a goal and an assist, while senior Allison Woo (Arcadia, Calif.) and sophomore Alli Schaum (San Rafael, Calif.) each netted a goal.
McDougal and sophomore Lily Keck (La Jolla, Calif.) each dished out two assists, and Miller came up with three steals.
In goal, freshman netminder Marley Presiado (Newport Beach, Calif.) blocked seven shots, and Burns turned aside five shots.
A pair of first-quarter goals from Hughes kept the Bears within 4-2 of the Tritons at the end of the opening stanza. In the second quarter, goals from Woo and Perez allowed Brown to remain within 7-4 before UCSD brought a 9-4 advantage into halftime.
Following a UC-San Diego goal to open the third quarter, the Bears used a 3-0 run behind tallies from Rosas, Schaum and Klein to cut their deficit to 10-7 before UCSD pushed its lead back to 12-7 with back-to-back goals. Another goal from Klein brought the score to 12-8, but the Tritons accounted for the contest’s final two markers.
Release courtesy Brown University Athletics Communications
