GROVE CITY, Pa. — Player of the Game Tia Kannel (Jr., York, Pa./Central York) stopped four shots while in cage during the first quarter and posted three markers as a field player over the remainder of the contest as host Grove City College overpowered Utica University, 14-3, on the second day of the 2022 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III Championship at the James E. Longnecker Competition Pool.
Courtesy the win, Grove City (8-9, 6-2 CWPA Division III East) punches the program’s ticket to a 4:40 p.m. clash with Carthage College with a spot in the CWPA Division III Championship Fifth Place game on the line. Utica (0-10, 0-8 CWPA Division III-East) will wrap-up its trip to the Keystone State at 6:00 p.m. as the Pioneers face Connecticut College in the Ninth Place game.
Utica jumped out to an early lead in the game as Hope Millets (Jr., Whitehall, Pa./Whitehall) converted on a man-up opportunity with 5:59 left in the first quarter. Sam Logue (Fr., Hollister, Calif./San Benito) delivered the equalizer for the Wolverines at 5:35 and Emory Shepson (Jr., Grove City, Pa./Homeschooled) swished a go-ahead strike at 4:17 to turn the tables on Utica and push Grove City out to a 2-1 lead. The margin lasted for 18 seconds until Amelia Laible (Fr., Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) squared the squads at two-all by zinging in a shot at the 3:59 mark.
Grove City – which previously defeated Utica 16-5 (March 19 at Washington & Jefferson College) and 13-0 (April 9 at Connecticut College) during the CWPA Division III-East Region regular season – put any doubts about the contest’s eventual outcome to rest in the second quarter by outscoring Utica 6-0.
Michelle Danley (Jr., Friendswood, Texas/Friendswood) started the quarter by putting away a shot at 7:27 prior to Reese Trauger (Jr., Perkasie, Pa./Pennridge) swishing opportunities at 6:51 and 4:04 to make it a 5-2 contest. Kannel – who vacated the cage following the first quarter – followed with even-strength (1:45) and man-up (29 seconds) strikes prior to Riley McCullough (Fr., Spring, Texas/Oak Ridge) closing out the frame with a liner at the 11 seconds mark to stake Grove City to an 8-2 halftime lead.
Kyra Johnson (Sr., Hamilton, Va./Woodgrove) and Trauger started the third quarter with back-to-back tallies at 7:41 and 7:11, respectively, before Madison West (Fr., Malone, N.Y./Franklin Academy) terminated an 8-0 run by the Wolverines by denting the twine with 5:05 left on the clock.
The remainder of the contest’s offense was exclusively the domain of Grove City as Kannel (2:58), Clarie Lochstet (So., Ambler, Pa./Upper Dublin) (2:04) and Danley (56 seconds) brought the curtain down on the third quarter with a 13-3 Wolverines’ margin. Mikayla Zablocki (Fr., Kittanning, Pa./Armstrong) drove home the final nail with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter as Grove City posted its 14th strike.
For Utica, Millets, Laible and West each accounted for solo markers in support of a seven save effort from netminder Kim Serio (So., Lakeville, N.Y./Livonia).
Kannel (three), McCullough (two), Trauger (two) and Danely (two) each accounted for multi-goal games for Grove City. Johnson, Shepson, Logue, Lochstet and Zablocki all found the back twine once.
In cage, Kannel stopped four shots in eight minutes prior to Elaine Miller (Sr., Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) coming in to make 12 stops over the final 24 minutes to earn the win.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Utica University (0-10, 0-8 CWPA Division III-East) |
2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 3 |
| Grove City College (8-9, 6-2 CWPA Division III East) | 2 | 6 | 5 | 1 | – | 14 |
| Grove City Goals: | Tia Kannel (3); Riley McCullough (2); Reese Trauger (2); Michelle Danley (2); Kyra Johnson; Emory Shepson; Sam Logue; Clarie Lochstet; Mikayla Zablocki | |||||
| Utica Goals: | Hope Millets; Amelia Laible; Madison West | |||||
| Saves: | Grove City – Tia Kannel (4, 8 minutes), Elaine Miller (12, 24 minutes); Utica – Kim Serio (7) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Grove City – 5 ; Utica – 5 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Grove City – 1-for-5; Utica – 1-for-5 | |||||
| Sprints: | Grove City – 2-for-4 (3rd, 4th); Utica – 2-for-4 (1st, 2nd) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Michael Francis; Brandon Nicholson | |||||
Utica University’s Amelia Laible (#18) swats the ball away from Grove City College’s Emory Shepson (#7)
Grove City College’s Reese Trauger (#12) looks for an opening as Utica University’s Kira Seaman (#14) defends
Grove City College’s Emory Shepson (#7) defends Utica University’s Hope Millets (#13)
