ST. PAUL, Minn. — Freshman Bianca Gallegos (Albuquerque, N.M./Manzano) scored four times to collect Player of the Game status as Wittenberg University overwhelmed Utica University, 15-2, in the opening round of the 2023 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Division III Championship hosted at Macalester College’s Riley Pool.
The victory advances Wittenberg (7-12, 1-7 CWPA Division III-West) – which previously finished Second (2021), Third (2022) and Sixth (2019) at the CWPA Division III Championship – into a quarterfinal showdown at 6:40 p.m. Central this evening versus Division III-East Region champion Connecticut College, while the loss drops Utica (0-11, 0-8 CWPA Division III-East) into the consolation side of the bracket with an 11:20 a.m. game on Saturday, April 22, against the loser of a first round game between Division III No. 10/host Macalester and Washington & Jefferson College.
The Tigers never trailed in powering past the Pioneers as Wittenberg jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind via strikes by Grace McLaughlin (Jr., Hatfield, Pa./North Penn), Evelyn Heil (So., Forth Worth, Texas/Carroll) and Shania Stone (Fr., Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton) at the 7:00, 4:56 and 4:28 marks of the first quarter, respectively, before Amelia Laible (Fr., Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) put Utica on the board at 2:46.
However, Wittenberg dominated the contest for the remainder of regulation as Meghan Lythgoe (Sr., Mason, Ohio/Mason), Savannah Cross (Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio/Kings) and Elizabeth Schexnaider (Jr., Friendswood, Texas/Friendswood) capped off the first quarter with back-to-back-to-back strikes at the 1:38, 1:29 and 31 seconds marks, respectively, to open the gap between the teams to 6-1.
Olivia Pena (So., Ontario, Calif./Bonita) (6:44), Gallegos (4:48, 2:50, 1:05), Kailey Cordova (Sr., Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg) (3:38) and Lythgoe (24 seconds) combined for all the offense in the second quarter as the Tigers expanded their margin to 12-1 entering halftime.
Following a scoreless third quarter, Wittenberg capped off the victory as Pena (2:20, man-up), Gallegos (40 seconds) and Stone (15 seconds) torqued in a trio of tallies in the fourth quarter to make it a 15-1 contest. However, Utica buried the final shot as netminder Kim Serio (Jr., Lakeville, N.Y./Livonia) arched a shot past Wittenberg goalie Leah Green (Fr., Grandville, Mich./Grandville) with three seconds left for the 15-2 final score.
Gallegos (four), Stone (two), Pena (two) and Lythgoe (two) led the Tigers’ offense with multiple scores, while Heil, Schexnaider, McLaughlin, Cordova and Cross deposited solo markers. Green made one save in cage to earn the win.
Laible and Serio – who stopped 10 shots – combined for Utica’s offense as the Pioneers are seeking to improve upon prior Sixth (2014, 2015), Seventh (2012, 2013), Eighth (2011, 2016, 2017, 2018), Ninth (2010, 2019) and 10th (2022) Place finishes at the CWPA Division III Championship.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Utica University |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | – | 2 |
| Wittenberg University | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | – | 15 |
| Wittenberg Goals: | Biana Gallegos (4); Shania Stone (2); Olivia Pena (2); Meghan Lythgoe (2); Evelyn Heil; Elizabeth Schexnaider; Grace McLaughlin; Kailey Cordova; Savannah Cross | |||||
| Utica Goals: | Kim Serio; Amelia Laible | |||||
| Saves: | Wittenberg – Leah Green (1) ; Utica – Kim Serio (10) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Wittenberg – 0 ; Utica – 1 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Wittenberg – 1-for-1 ; Utica – None | |||||
| Sprints: | Wittenberg – 4-for-4 ; Utica – 0-for-4 | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | Wittenberg – None ; Utica – None | |||||
| Officials: | Joe Peila; Aleks Mitrevski | |||||
University University’s Kelly Waryncia (#10) looks to pass over Wittenberg University’s Savannah Cross (#3)
Wittenberg University’s Bianca Gallegos (#7) lobs a shot over Utica University’s Aimee Oswald (#17)
Wittenberg University’s Elizabeth Schexnaider (#9) attempts to drive past Utica University’s Sara Kuiken (#15)
