2017 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship Schedule & Results
No. 3 California Polytechnic State University-vs.-No. 14 Pennsylvania State University (Scoresheet)
PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Claudia Macedo (Jr., San Martin, Calif.) put away four shots to lead nine scorers from No. 3-ranked California Polytechnic State University as the Mustangs claimed a 15-6 victory over No. 14 Pennsylvania State University in the opening game of the 2017 Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship hosted by the University of Pittsburgh at the Joe C. Trees Pool.
The seven-time National Champions (2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) and reigning Pacific Coast Division Champion Mustangs never trailed versus the Mid-Atlantic Division runner-up Nittany Lions as Jessie Smith (Jr., Park City, Utah) drilled in a shot with 5:14 left in the opening quarter of action.
Penn State responded 33 seconds later as Alex Stickler (Sr., Mechanicsburg, Pa.) stroked in a shot to convert on a man-up advantage and pull the Nittany Lions even at one-all.
However, the tie would last for under a minute as Player of the Game Taylor Best (Jr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) broke free for a tally at 3:53 to place Cal Poly into the lead to stay at 2-1. Macedo followed with a successful five-meter penalty shot (2:40) prior to Hannah Sweet (Fr., Ripon, Calif.) sweeping in an even-strength marker at 1:16 prior to Melanie Flores (So., Moorpark, Calif.) rifling in a man-up opportunity with 36 seconds left in the first quarter to make it 5-1 after seven minutes of play.
The lead continued to increase in the dawning moments of the second quarter as Best proved better than the Penn State by depositing back-to-back natural goals with 6:17 and 5:33 on the clock to inflate the margin to 7-1.
Penn State chipped a goal off their deficit and snapped a 6-0 scoring run by the Mustangs as Emily Argentati (So., Reading, Pa.) curled in a power-play bid at 3:06 to move the Nittany Lions within 7-2.
However, Cal Poly would carry a six-score lead into halftime as Molly Casey (Sr., Coarsegold, Calif.) hurled in a haymaker at the halftime buzzer to provide the Mustangs an 8-2 spread.
Casey’s blast began a 4-0 scoring spurt by the Pacific Coast Division Champions as Hannah Vaughn-Hulbert (So., San Jose, Calif.) (even-strength, 5:23) and Macedo (penalty shot, 4:42; even-strength, 2:53) ticked off back-to-back-to-back tallies to start the third quarter to make it an 11-2 game.
Penn State shaved a score off its deficit once again in the waning moments of a quarter as Clare Washabaugh (So., Pittsburgh, Pa.) put away a natural marker with 1:33 to go in the frame to inch the Nittany Lions within 11-3 going into the fourth quarter.
Sydney Clark (Jr., Salinas, Calif.) and Sweet put to rest any doubts of the contest’s eventual outcome as the duo drove home shots at 5:49 and 5:19, respectively, to provide the Mustangs a 10-goal lead at 13-3.
Consecutive scores by Shannon Quinn (Fr., Lansdale, Pa.) and Stickler on six-on-five (4:45) and even-strength (1:49) chances, respectively, shrank the gap down to eight at 13-5. However, Penn State would pull no closer as Macedo (1:37, even-strength) and Flores (25 seconds, even-strength) sandwiched a hat-trick completing strike by Stickler at 1:23 for the 15-6 final score.
For the Mustangs, Best joined Macedo in posting hat-tricks, while Flores and Sweet both netted pairs of goals. Smith, Casey, Clark and Vaughn-Hulbert each added solo scores in support of a 10 save effort by goalie Sierra Sheeper (Jr., Menlo Park, Calif.).
The victory advances Cal Poly into the tournament quarterfinals at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 6, where the squad will face the victor of a first round game pitting New England Division Champion Dartmouth College versus Rocky Mountain Division Champion the University of Utah.
Penn State received a hat-trick from Stickler to accompany single goals from Washabaugh, Argentati and Quinn. Sofia Viebranz (Fr., Erie, Pa.), who became the team’s goalie by default following an injury to starter Amy Frey (Jr., Riverside, Ill.) did her due diligence in stopping five shots.
The loss places the Nittany Lions, who made the championship field due to host/Mid-Atlantic Division Champion the University of Pittsburgh holding the No. 12 slot in the event, into the consolation side of the bracket as the team can now finish no higher than Ninth in the 16-team field. Penn State will next be in action in the final game of Day 1 at 9:50 p.m. this evening against the fallen from the Dartmouth-Utah game. PSU will hope to record its second best finish in five trips to the Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship after prior placements in 2001 (10th at Miami University of Ohio), 2005 (11th at Texas A&M University), 2011 (eighth at the University of Notre Dame) and 2015 (eighth at Middlebury College).
In the history of the Women’s National Collegiate Club Championship, a No. 16 seed has never finished higher than Ninth since the tournament expanded to 16-teams in 2005. The University of Arizona is the lone No. 16 seed to crack the Top 10 as they Wildcats achieved the feat as the host team in 2010 via a 6-4 defeat of the University of Utah.
| Teams | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | — | Final |
| No. 14 Pennsylvania State University |
1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | — | 6 |
| No. 3 California Polytechnic State University | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | — | 15 |
Cal Poly Goals: Claudia Macedo (4); Taylor Best (3); Melanie Flores (2); Hannah Sweet (2); Jessie Smith; Molly Casey; Sydney Clark; Hannah Vaughn-Hulbert
Penn State Goals: Alex Stickler (3); Clare Washabaugh; Emily Argentati; Shannon Quinn
Saves: Cal Poly – Sierra Sheeper (10) ; Penn State – Sofia Viebranz (5)
Exclusions: Cal Poly – 5 ; Penn State – 4
Advantage Opportunities: Cal Poly – 3-for-4 ; Penn State – 3-for-5
Sprints: Cal Poly – 3-for-4 (1st, 3rd, 4th) ; Penn State – 1-for-4 (2nd)
Cards: None
Officials: Tiffany Urbanski, Jay O’Neil
Pennsylvania State University’s Clare Washabaugh
