CMS Women's Water Polo Falls In Regular Season Finale

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's water polo team fell on the road to Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday in the regular season finale for both teams, dropping a 12-5 decision at Haldeman Pool as the Sagehens secured the regular season SCIAC title.

The Athenas could have pulled even with the Sagehens with a win, but instead close out the regular season at 10-2 in the SCIAC, good for second place, while Pomona-Pitzer ends at 12-0. CMS will host one of the two SCIAC Semifinal games on Friday against Chapman, while Pomona-Pitzer will face Cal Lutheran in the other. The two teams could meet again at Haldeman Pool next Sunday, if they both hold serve in the semifinals. 

CMS and Pomona-Pitzer went overtime in their last two meetings, the first in the SCIAC opener at Axelrood Pool in March, which ended up a 13-9 Pomona-Pitzer win. The other was in the USA Water Polo Division III national championship match last May at Augustana. 

Saturday's meeting seemed to be on a similar trajectory, with Pomona-Pitzer holding a narrow 4-3 lead at the half. Cooper McKenna tied the score at 3-3 with 6:07 left in the second quarter, but the Sagehens' Abigail Wiesenthal broke the deadlock with 4:04 left to make it a 4-3 game heading into the break. 

The Sagehens ended up on a 4-0 run by scoring the first three goals of the second half to go ahead 7-3, before Valerie Wraith cut it to 7-4 for the Athenas with 2:19 left in the third. 

Isabel Del Villar answered a Pomona-Pitzer goal in the first minute of the fourth quarter to make it an 8-5 game, but the Sagehens closed out on a 4-0 run, led by Lulu Gaither, who had four goals and three assists on the game, to make it a 12-5 final. 

Del Villar had two goals for CMS, while Dara Schoolcraft joined Wraith and McKenna with one-goal games. Natalie Stearns had several big first-half saves to keep CMS close, finishing with eight on the day, while also adding three steaks to tie Caitlin Muñoz for team-high honors. 

CMS will host third-seeded Chapman on Friday for the right to advance to the SCIAC Championship on Sunday. The Athenas defeated the Panthers 22-6 last Saturday and 18-12 at Chapman in March, and a third win would also enable CMS to earn a bid to the USA Water Polo Division III Championship for the second straight season.