NEW LONDON, Conn. — Division III No. 9-ranked Washington & Jefferson College fell behind 4-2 in the first quarter, but rallied back by outscoring the host Camels of Connecticut College 5-1 over the remainder of the contest at the Jane Cadwell Lott Natatorium to pick-up a 7-5 victory over the 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III Champions.
Facing off for the first time since the Camels outscored the Presidents by a 6-3 count in the second half to overcome the Presidents, 13-9, and claim the program’s fourth consecutive CWPA Division III Championship at home in Lott Natatorium on April 17, 2016, Connecticut appeared primed to flip the script and overwhelm W&J in the first half.
Brianna Harrity (Sr., Jeffersonville, Pa./Germantown Academy) broke the seal for Connecticut by tossing in the opening strike with 5:46 left in the first quarter. Madison Nervig (Sr., Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) erased the lead at 4:53, but April Anderson (Jr., Mill Valley, Calif./Tamalpais) and Kaitlin Reagan (Fr., Saratoga, Calif./St. Francis) ticked off back-to-back scores on a penalty shot and a six-on-five chance, respectively, to make it 3-1.
Nervig responded with 26 seconds remaining in the first quarter to shrink W&J’s deficit to 3-2, but Sophia Soriano (Jr., Summerland, Calif./Cate School) reinforced the margin back to a pair at 4-2 with eight seconds on the clock to complete a first-eight minute frame in which four different Camels found the back of the cage.
Nervig completed a hat-trick for the only scoring in the second quarter via a five-meter penalty shot at 7:22 to chip Connecticut’s lead down to 4-3 prior to halftime.
The Camels returned the favor in the third quarter as Shannon Cry (Jr., Monterey, Calif./Monterey) put away a shot at 4:43 to give Connecticut a 5-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
However, W&J would get over the hump in the Camels’ home pool to avenge last year’s title game defeat as Brittany Patterson (Sr., North Wales, Pa./North Penn) and Liz Klock (Jr., New Lennox, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) cocked and unloaded shots at 6:46 and 5:42, respectively, in the first 2:30 of the fourth quarter to knot the score at five-all.
Klock struck again at 3:40 to post the game-winner in giving W&J its first lead of the game at 6-5 before Nervig delivered some insurance at 1:30 for her game-high fourth goal of the contest.
For the Presidents, Klock and Patterson accounted for Washington & Jefferson’s other three goals as the Keystone State squad outscored their Constitution State foe 4-1 in the second half to rally for victory.
Reagan, Soriano, Anderson, Harrity and Cry each scored once for the Camels.
