ST. PAUL, Minn. — Lizzie Pelzman (So., Roseville, Calif./Roseville) made 13 saves and Casey Barragan (So., Commerce, Calif./La Serna/Fresno State University) tallied four goals to share Player of the Game laurels as the Division III No. 6-ranked/Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III-West Region champion Vikings of Augustana College inflicted a 12-4 Ragnarok upon host/Division III No. 10 Macalester College in the semifinals of the 2023 CWPA Division III Championship at Riley Pool.
Augustana (15-5, 7-1 CWPA Division III-West Region) advances to the CWPA Division III Championship title game at 1:30 p.m. Central on Sunday, April 23, against the victor of the other semifinal pitting CWPA Division III-East Region Champion Connecticut College and CWPA Division III-West Region runner-up/defending CWPA Division III Champion/Division III No. 9 Austin College.
The title tilt marks the second championship game appearance for Augustana in as many appearances at the league championship tournament as the Vikings suffered an 18-7 loss to Austin at Grove City College for the 2022 CWPA Division III Championship crown.
Macalester – which previously finished First (2017, 2018, 2019), Fourth (2011, 2013, 2014, 2022), Fifth (2012, 2015), Sixth (2010) and Seventh (2016) in prior appearances at the CWPA Division III Championship – will take on the fallen from the Austin-Connecticut semifinal at Noon on Sunday, April 23, for Third Place.
Augustana wasted little time in burying the Scots’ under the oppressive weight of a deficit as the Vikings raided the Scots’ defense for five goals in the first quarter.
Victoria Guest (So., Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Los Osos) broke the ice by twirling home a go-ahead goal 61 seconds into the contest to stake the Vikings to a lead they refused to relinquish. 2023 CWPA Division III-West Region Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year Barragan (5:53; 2:16), Annie Opal Dickson (So., Imperial Beach, Calif./Mar Vista) (3:07) and Jillian Hagmann (So., San Jose, Calif./Santa Teresa) (2:31) inflicted the remainder of the damage during the first quarter offensive rampage as Augustana exited the first eight minutes with a commanding 5-0 lead.
Alana Nadolski (Fr., Kentwood, Mich./East Kentwood) (5;36) and Eleanor Michaud (Sr., Long Grove, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) (4:40, man-up) put the home team on the scoreboard in the first half of the second quarter, but Charlotte Newport (So., Baytown, Texas/Ross S. Sterling) (1:39, man-up) and Dickson (49 seconds) delivered responses in the other half of the frame to set the scoreboard at 7-2 heading into halftime.
Barragan (7:19) and Hagmann (5:03) capped off a 4-0 outburst by Augustana as the duo commenced the third quarter with back-to-back markers to build the lead to 9-2.
Lorelei Bell (Fr., Enginitas, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) attempted to ignite a Scots’ comeback try by drilling in a man-up opportunity with 3:53 on the clock, but Ocean Akau (So., Pana’ewa, Hawaii/Kamehameha) snuffed out Macalester’s comeback hopes 32 seconds later by cashing in on a Vikings’ power-play to stake Augustana to a 10-3 lead heading into the final eight minutes of regulation.
Hagmann (4:49) and Barragan (3:44) put any doubts about the eventual outcome to rest in the dawning moments of the fourth quarter to expand the Vikings’ lead to 12-3 prior to Michaud (1:26) firing in a six-on-five bid for the 12-4 final score.
Augustana – which improves to 3-0 against the Scots in 2023 with prior 8-7 (March 18 at Augustana) and 8-6 (April 2 at Carthage College) victories – received multi-goal games from Barragan (four), Hagmann (three) and Newport (two) along with solo strikes by Dickson, Guest and Akau in support of Pelzman.
Michaud (two), Nadolski and Bell combined for Macalester’s four goals, while Laurel O’Hare (Jr., Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) and Jayden Kratt (Fr., Palo Alto, Calif./Henry M. Gunn) posted a total of seven saves.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Augustana College |
5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | – | 12 |
| Macalester College | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | 4 |
| Macalester Goals: | Eleanor Michaud (2); Alana Nadolski; Lorelei Bell | |||||
| Augustana Goals: | Casey Barragan (4); Jillian Hagmann (3); Charlotte Newport (2); Annie Opal Dickson; Victoria Guest; Ocean Akau; | |||||
| Saves: | Macalester – Laurel O’Hare (4, 24 minutes), Jayden Kratt (3, 8 minutes) ; Augustana – Lizzie Pelzman (13) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Macalester – 3 ; Augustana – 7 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Macalester – 3-for-7 ; Augustana – 2-for-3 | |||||
| Sprints: | Macalester – 4-for-4 ; Augustana – 0-for-4 | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | Macalester – None ; Augustana – None | |||||
| Officials: | Alex Stankevitch; Aleks Mitrevski | |||||
Augustana College’s Victoria Guest (#14) eyes an opening as Macalester College’s Elizabeth Matlin (#6) defends
Augustana College’s Charlotte Newport (#4) pops the ball into the air as Macalester College’s Alana Nadolski (#17) closes in
Augustana College’s Lizzie Pelzman (#1A)
