LA VERNE, Calif. -- The No. 6 ranked Augustana women's water polo team went 1-1 on Friday to begin the Claremont Convergence in Southern California, falling to the No. 3 ranked Cal Lutheran Regals before knocking off the No. 5 La Verne Leopards by a final of 9-8.
In game one vs. Cal Lutheran, the two teams alternated the first four goals scored to result in a 2-2 tie after three minutes of play. The Regals grabbed the upper hand with a pair of tallies in the final 1:15 of play to bring a 4-2 lead into the second quarter.
Waiahuli Akau accounted for both goals for the Vikings in the opening frame. In a high-scoring second, the Regals claimed a slight 4-3 advantage to make it an 8-5 game at the intermission.
Alayna Ickert and
Ocean Akau grabbed consecutive strikes in the quarter before
Anais Jones tallied a point with one second remaining.
The Vikings inched closer after out-scoring the Regals by one in the third.
Jersey Merrick notched the first goal of the half before
Anita Rodgers later secured another last-second tally. Cal Lutheran put up a 4-1 margin in the fourth to pull away for the five-point win.
W. Akau led Augie with two goals, while
Annie Opal Dickson added a pair of assists.
Lizzie Pelzman stopped seven shots in net.
In game two vs. the Leopards, the home team doubled up Augie after eight minutes of play with a 4-2 lead after one. Rodgers and
Maggie Caliendo notched the first two points of the second quarter to even up the game, but La Verne answered with two of the next three to remain out in front by a score of 6-5 at the break. After the Leopards sent in the only goal of the third quarter, the Vikings found themselves trailing 8-5 after the home team posted the first goal of the fourth. Augie closed the game with four unanswered points, seeing scores from four different players to steal the 9-8 win. The Vikings held the Leopards scoreless for the final 7:36 of the contests.
A total of eight players for Augustana in the win, led by
Emma Blezien's two goals and two assists.
Susan Palmentera-Reid earned the win in net after collecting nine saves.
With the split, Augustana is now 5-3 on the season. The team will be back in action tomorrow to face Caltech and No. 8 Occidental.
