Alex Szymczak had three straight goals to send CMS on its way to a season-opening win
Alex Szymczak had three straight goals to send CMS on its way to a season-opening win

Second-Quarter Run Propels CMS Women's Water Polo to Season-Opening 14-4 Win over Austin

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Sophomore Alex Szymczak scored three straight goals to start a dominant 8-1 second quarter as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's water polo team opened its 2020 season with a 14-4 win over Austin on Friday night on the first day of the Bruno Classic, hosted by Brown University.

The score was tied 2-2 after the first quarter, before the Athenas took command and stormed ahead 10-3 at the halftime break. In fact, the Kangaroos led 2-1 in the final minute of the first quarter before a tying goal by sophomore Addi Duvall, and CMS scored the first seven goals of the second quarter for an 8-0 run to go ahead 9-2. 

Szymczak opened the second quarter with a goal 25 seconds in to give CMS the lead for good, then followed with her second goal 46 seconds later. She completed her hat trick to make the score 5-2 with 4:27 left in the second, before yielding to her teammates. Sophomore Emma Brezoczky scored with 3:52 left in the second to extend the lead to 6-2, which was followed 41 seconds later by the second goal from Duvall. 

Sophomore Emily McElroy extended the CMS run to 7-0 with 1:59 left in the half, and after Austin finally ended the CMS run with 29 seconds left, Brezoczky netted her second with just nine seconds left to put the Athenas up 10-3.

First-year Isabel Dhillon scored her first collegiate goal in the third quarter, while sophomore Maddy Menard added her second of the night. Senior Aracelia Aldrete and first-year Jessi Beyer added goals in the fourth. 

The CMS defense, anchored by sophomore goalie Jessica Salaz and junior defenders Anna Fry and Amelia Ayala, were superb in the opening contest, allowing only four goals on the night. 

CMS will be back in action on the second day of the Bruno Classic when it faces Marist at 8:45 a.m. and host Brown at 4:15 p.m. (Pacific time).