CMS Women's Water Polo Picks up Two Dominant Wins on First Day of Convergence

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's water polo team defended its home pool in convincing fashion on Friday, earning a 21-13 win over Augustana and a 15-4 win over Iona on the first day of the Claremont Convergence Tournament at Axelrood Pool.

Cooper McKenna had five goals in the Augustana win and added three goals and two assists against Iona, giving her eight goals and 10 points on the day. Isabel Del Villar had four goals in the Iona win and Caitlin Muñoz had four against Augustana, with Grace Clark and Dara Schoolcraft adding hat tricks. Mia Adsen had two-goal games in both contests, while Olivia Cairns had two against Augustana and Elise Power tallied twice against Iona. 

CMS led Augustana 11-7 after a high-scoring first half, with Muñoz finishing off the opening stanza with a goal with 20 seconds left. McKenna had two goals in a game-opning 4-0 run, and Adsen scored to stretch it to 9-4, before the Vikings were able to trim it to 10-7. 

The second half saw CMS use a 3-0 run to take control midway through the third, with Muñoz, Schoolcraft and McKenna scoring on three straight possessions in a span of 1:21 to make it a 16-10 CMS lead. Muñoz capped off the third with a goal to make it 18-11 with 10 seconds left, and the Athenas were able to cruise through the fourth for a 21-13 win. 

The second game of the day was never in doubt, as CMS raced out to a 4-0 lead, with McKenna, Clark, Schoolcraft, and Del Villar each finding the net in the first 4:30. After Iona ended the 4-0 run, CMS closed out the first quarter with three more goals to take a 7-1 lead in the second quarter, and then stretched it to an 11-1 lead in the third on a goal from Jessi Beyer. 

Mason Spencer and Natalie Stearns split the time in goal, with Stearns allowing just one goal in the first half and making five saves to get the win. 

CMS will be back in action tomorrow when it faces two nationally ranked Division I opponents, facing No. 15 Pacific at 11:30 a.m. and No. 2 USC at 4:30 p.m.