'Roo Water Polo Splits on Second Day of California Road Trip

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - The Austin College women's water polo team took on a pair of Division III opponents on Saturday after facing Division II Concordia Irvine and Division I Cal State Northridge on Friday, topping Caltech 21-14 for the team's first win of the season before falling 20-11 at Chapman. The 'Roos are now 1-3 to open the year.

The matchup at Caltech began as a back-and-forth affair, with both teams ending the first period tied at 3-3. Gallegos opened the scoring early for Austin College, and goals from Camila Diarte and Joslyn Dimitri kept the 'Roos level despite an early offensive push from Caltech. Austin College took command in the second period, outscoring the Beavers 6-3 to take a 9-6 lead into the intermission. The 'Roos showcased their depth during the run, with Ashlyn Thomas, Clara Koenig, Sophia King, and Mikhaela Torres all finding the back of the net. The momentum continued into the third frame as Austin College added another six goals, including two more from Diarte, to extend the advantage to 15-11.

Gallegos remained relentless through the final eight minutes, netting two of the team's six fourth-quarter goals to seal the win. Diarte finished the contest with four goals, while Thomas contributed three. Dimitri and Torres each finished with a pair of goals, and the trio of Connie Garcia, Caroline Armstrong, and Koenig added one apiece to round out the balanced scoring effort. Defensively, the 'Roos were active in the lanes, recording 13 steals to disrupt the Caltech offense. Austin College also won the battle at the sprint line, taking three of the four opening sprints to maintain possession. Goalkeepers Ashley Easley and Michaela Hautzinger anchored the defense, while Morgan Evans provided key distribution with two assists and three steals.

In the second game of the day against Chapman, the 'Roos fell behind 5-1 after the opening frame and Chapman outscored the 'Roos 8-1 in the second period to make it 13-2 at the break, and Austin College was unable to mount a comeback in the final two quarters of the team's 20-11 defeat. Austin College outpaced Chapman 6-4 in the third period to cut it to 17-8, but the gap remained for the duration of the final quarter. 

Austin College owned a shot advantage in the game, firing 34 attempts compared to 33 for Chapman, but the 'Roos converted on just .324 of their attempts while Chapman had a team percentage of .606, and they were also 6-of-9 on power plays to just 2-of-12 for Austin College. Dimitri led Austin College with five goals and Gallegos chipped in a pair, while McKenna Malone, Garcia, Diarte, and Koenig tallied once each.