O'FALLON, Ill. -- The Augustana Vikings women's water polo team split a pair of games to kick off its 2024 season on Saturday, falling to the McKendree Bearcats by a score of 11-8 before defeating the Carthage Firebirds with a final of 12-4.
After eight minutes of action, McKendree held a slight 3-2 lead after breaking a tie with 54 seconds showing on the clock.
Casey Barragan accounted for both goals in the opening frame for Augie. After the Bearcats grabbed the first score of the second,
Olivia Parry and
Anita Rodgers evened the game at four points apiece with consecutive tallies. A goal around the one-minute mark from the home squad gave them a 5-4 advantage at the break. McKendree used a 4-1 margin in the third to pull away, eventually holding on to the three-point victory despite a plus-margin for Augie in the fourth.
Barragan led the way for the Vikings with four goals, while Rodgers added two.
Lizzie Pelzman notched 11 saves in net.
In the second game of the day against the Firebirds, the Vikings grabbed the early lead after the first three goals went in their favor.
Charlotte Newport accounted for the first two scores of the contest, followed by one from
Ocean Akau. Carthage answered with a pair of goals to make it a 3-2 game after eight minutes of action.
The Vikings broke the game open with a 4-0 differential in the second, seeing goals from four different players on their way to a 7-2 halftime lead. Akau began the scoring with her second tally of the contest, followed by goals from
Maggie Caliendo, Barragan, and
Annelie McGhee. The Augie defense continued to shine in the third, shutting out out the Firebirds for the second consecutive quarter while adding two additional goals to their count. Tallies from
Alayna Ickert and Akau made it a 9-2 contest after three. The two teams played to an even fourth, each scoring twice to complete the 12-4 win for the Vikings.
Three different players notched at least two goals for Augie, with Akau leading the way with three.
Natalie Abril and
Susan Palmentera-Reid combined for 12 saves in net.
With the results, Augustana is 1-1 to begin the new season. The team will head to St. Paul, Minn. next weekend for a two-day stay.
