ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College water polo team played a doubleheader today at the Macalester Invite in Riley Pool. In the first game, the Scots fell 5-10 to McKendree. In the second game, Macalester recorded their first win of the year in a 16-8 victory over Caltech. The Scots move to 1-2 on the season.
Against McKendree, Mac struck first, with senior Kendall Coney (League City, Texas/Clear Creek) scoring two minutes into the game. The Bearcats responded, however, with two goals of their own in the final three minutes of the quarter to take an early 2-1 lead.
McKendree tallied two more goals in the second quarter before senior Elizabeth Matlin (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) knocked one in for Macalester, only for the Bearcats to score another with two seconds left in the half to take a 5-2 lead at intermission.
The third quarter was low-scoring, with the Scots losing the frame 0-1, but in the fourth, McKendree got hot, going up 10-2 before junior Jess Palmer-Sammons (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) scored, followed by a pair of goals from first year Anna Gaisser (Seattle, Wash./Ingraham) to end the game. Gaisser's two goals led the Scots, while junior goalkeeper Jayden Kratt (Palo Alto, Calif./Henry M. Gunn) tallied seven saves.
In their battle with Caltech for Senior Day, Matlin found the back of the net first, followed by junior Lorelei Bell (Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito Academy) to give the Scots the early lead. After a Beavers goal, Bell responded with another to put Mac up 3-1 to end the first.
In the second quarter, senior Brooke Geel (Meriden, Conn./Hopkins School), Palmer-Sammons, and Matlin all scored, while the Beavers continued to struggle, producing just one goal to give the Scots the 6-2 lead.
The Scots maintained their lead throughout the third and entered the final frame up 9-5. Though a quick Beaver goal to start the fourth gave them a fright, Macalester rolled the rest of the way to the win in a seven-goal quarter, closing with another score from Coney. Coney and Matlin each had three goals on the day for the Scots, while Kratt tallied eight saves.
The Macalester Invite concludes Sunday, Feb. 16 for the Scots, who face their final opponent, Ottawa, at 3:15 p.m. at Riley Pool.
Click here to view the Macalester Invite tournament website.
MAC – 1 1 0 3 - 5
MCK – 3 5 5 1 - 10
Macalester goals: Gaisser 2, Coney, Matlin, Palmer-Sammons
MAC – 3 3 3 7 - 16
CIT – 1 1 3 3 - 8
Macalester goals: Coney 3, Matlin 3, Geel 2, Palmer-Sammons 2, Dimka 2, Lewandowski, Nadolski, Fasi, Bell
