LOS ANGELES/WHITTIER, Calif. — The Division III No. 8-ranked Austin College women’s water polo team took on its first Division III opponents of the year by falling at Division III No. 9 Occidental College, 14-11, before earning a last-second 12-11 win at Division III No. 10 Whittier College. The Kangaroos are now 1-5 overall this season.
The ‘Roos found themselves trailing 4-0 after the opening quarter against Occidental and fell behind 5-0 early in the second quarter before Joslyn Dimitri got Austin on the board at the 6:46 mark. Oxy got its lead up to 7-1, but Ashley Chand tallied a strike with 3:49 left and McKenna Malone added a goal to cut it to 7-3 with just over three minutes left before halftiime.
Occidental opened the scoring in the third quarter before Bianca Gallegos responded to make it 8-4. However, the Tigers pushed their margin back to five at 9-4 with 4:52 left in the frame. Chand scored again for Austin College, but Occidental countered to maintain a five-goal lead. Dimitri added a tallly before the Tigers responded with two tallies to make it 12-6. Camila Diarte found the back of the cage to make it 12-7, and Dimitri scored twice more in the quarter to pull the ‘Roos to within three goals at 12-9 as they went into the fourth quarter.
Occidental scored twice in the first four minutes of the final span to build a 14-9 lead. Goals from Gallegos and Dimitri were not enough as Austin fell by a 14-11 final score.
Facing Whittier, the Poets jumped out to a 5-2 lead after the first quarter before the ‘Roos answered with a 5-2 quarter of their own to make it a seven-all game entering halftime. Chand scored both of Austin’s first quarter goals, while Malone, Gallegos, and Sophia King accounted for solo markers to accompany a pair by Dimitri in the second quarter.
Lexy Hulse netted the lone goal of the third quarter for Austin as the Poets took a 10-8 lead into the final frame.
Gallegos and Chand each found the back of the cage to even things up, and after Whittier took the lead with 4:57 on the clock, Chand scored again to keep the ‘Roos level at 11-all.
Mikhaela Torres put away the game-winner as she ripped a shot into the twine with five seconds remaining to lift the ‘Roos to a 12-11 victory.
Information courtesy Austin College Athletics Communications
