NEW LONDON, Conn. — Monmouth College overcame Penn State Behrend by a 7-5 score prior to edging past three-time Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III Champion (2010, 2011, 2012) Grove City College 6-4 in overtime to begin the league’s Division III tournament weekend at Connecticut College’s Jane Cadwell Lott Natatorium.
Esther Hubbard (Fr., Sandy, Ore./Sandy Union) scored four times to lead the way in the day’s opener versus the Lions of Penn State Behrend as the Fighting Scots never trailed in turning back their opponent.
Hubbard opened the scoring 67 seconds into the game by depositing the opening strike with 6:53 left in the first quarter. Neither team found the twine again until the Lions’ Lauren Wood (So., Vernon Hils, Ill./Vernon Hills) pulled Penn State Behrend even at one-all with 1:01 remaining in the frame. The tie was shortlived, however, as Hubbard hurled in her second tally at the 46 seconds mark to place Monmouth back in front at 2-1.
The score inflated to 4-1 by halftime as Becca Dabrowski (So., McHenry, Ill./West) and Hubbard swished even-strength shots with 6:17 and 1:41 on the second quarter clock as Monmouth began to pull away from the Lions.
Penn State Behrend made a game of the contest in the third quarter as Brittany Pinter (Sr., Erie, Pa./McDowell) drilled in a man-up chance at the 7:19 mark prior to Maryn Horn (Jr., Houston, Texas/Jersey Village) putting away an even-strength bid at 5:43 to move within a goal of tying Monmouth at 4-3.
The Lions completed their comeback bid 70 seconds into the fourth quarter as Wood weaved through the Fighting Scots’ defense to land an offensive haymaker with 6:50 remaining in regulation to knot the score at four-all.
Hubbard and Dabrowski responded for Monmouth by ticking off back-to-back tallies at 6:01 and 1:43, respectively, to give the Scots a 6-4 lead with 103 seconds to go in the game.
Penn State Behrend refused to be knocked off so easily, however, as Wood wrapped up a hat-trick with 1:13 on the clock to set the Lions within striking distance at 6-5.
Facing another Lions’ comeback and the spectre of overtime, the Scots received a late goal from Brittany Lira (Fr., Midlothian, N.Y./Bremen) with 32 seconds remaining in the game to hang on for a 7-5 victory.
For Monmouth, Dabrowski added a pair of goals and Lira chipped in a solo marker to accompany Hubbard’s four-score output.
On the other end of the tank, Wood (three), Pinter (one) and Horn (one) combined for Penn State Behrend’s offense.
Squaring off with Grove City College in the final game of the day, Monmouth went the distance and then some in turning back the Wolverines, 6-4, in overtime.
Abby Spicher (So., Erie, Pa./McDowell) drew first blood for Grove City by slashing the Scots for a tally 19 seconds into the first quarter. Hubbard answered back for Monmouth by balancing the scoreboard at one-all at the 2:51 mark of the opening frame to lock the teams at one-all after eight minutes of play.
Neither team would finish a shot again until the 3:06 mark of the second quarter when Dabrowski twirled in a go-ahead score for the Fighting Scots to make it 2-1 at halftime.
Grove City fired back in the third quarter as Elizabeth Andrews (Fr., Newberg, Ore./Newberg) notched an even-strength score at 6:58 and hammered home a man-up opportunity at 4:59 to place the Wolverines out in front by 3-2 count. Monmouth answered back with a strike from Emily Mathews (Fr., Flossmoor, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) at 4:39 to knot the score at three-all, but Andrews put the Wolverines back into the lead at 4-3 with 3:24 on the clock heading into the fourth quarter.
Both teams struggled to either add to the lead or pull even until Mathews posted the equalizer at the 4:01 mark. The offenses of Monmouth and Grove City went back into hibernation for the remainder of regulation to bring on overtime.
Dabrowski took command of the game in the pair of three-minute overtime periods by scoring with 1:15 and 33 seconds remaining in the game for the 6-4 final.
Andrews finished with a hat-trick for Grove City with Spicher adding a strike, while Dabrowski posted a hat-trick, Mathews scored twice and Hubbard tacked on a solo tally for the victorious Fighting Scots.
