ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Division III No. 7-ranked Macalester College water polo team split a doubleheader on the second day of the Macalester Invite in Riley Pool. In the first game, the Scots fell by a 10-5 score to McKendree University. In the second contest, Macalester recorded its first win of the season in a 16-8 defeat of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech).
Against McKendree, Mac struck first, with senior Kendall Coney (League City, Texas/Clear Creek) scoring two minutes into the game. The Bearcats responded, however, with two goals of their own in the final three minutes of the quarter to take an early 2-1 lead.
McKendree tallied two more goals in the second quarter before senior Elizabeth Matlin (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) knocked one in for Macalester, only for the Bearcats to score another with two seconds left in the half to take a 5-2 lead at intermission.
The third quarter was low-scoring, with the Scots falling another goal behind.
McKendree got hot in the fourth quarter to claim a 10-2 margin before junior Jess Palmer-Sammons (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) scored, followed by a pair of goals from first year Anna Gaisser (Seattle, Wash./Ingraham) to end the game. Gaisser’s two goals led the Scots, while junior goalkeeper Jayden Kratt (Palo Alto, Calif./Henry M. Gunn) tallied seven saves.
In their battle with Caltech for Senior Day, Matlin found the back of the net first, followed by junior Lorelei Bell (Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) to give the Scots the early lead. After a Beavers goal, Bell responded with another to put Mac up 3-1 to end the first.
In the second quarter, senior Brooke Geel (Meriden, Conn./Hopkins School), Palmer-Sammons and Matlin all scored, while the Beavers continued to struggle, producing just one goal to give the Scots the 6-2 lead.
The Scots maintained their lead throughout the third and entered the final frame up 9-5. Though a quick Beaver goal to start the fourth gave them a fright, Macalester rolled the rest of the way to the win in a seven-goal quarter, closing with another score from Coney. Coney and Matlin each had three goals on the day for the Scots, while Kratt tallied eight saves.
Release courtesy Macalester College Athletics Communications
