FULLERTON, Calif. – The Macalester College water polo team played their final two games of spring break in the Golden State today at the Fullerton Aquatics Center. In the first, against Division I Cal State Fullerton, the Scots fell 4-15. The second saw a similar result, with Mac falling 3-15 to Division II Concordia. Macalester moves to 6-8 on the season.

Against the Titans, Mac had a slow start and never got back into the game. First year Anna Gaisser (Seattle, Wash./Ingraham) scored the Scots' first goal with 2:54 to play in the first quarter, but Macalester was unable to capitalize on it, as they found themselves down 4-1 headed into the second.

That second frame would prove to be the highest-scoring for the Scots, but unfortunately, that also proved true for the Titans. Juniors Alana Nadolski (Kentwood, Mich./East Kentwood) and Jess Palmer-Sammons (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) each tapped the ball into the twine, but the Titans led 9-3 at the half. After a scoreless third quarter, Nadolski swung it to senior Elizabeth Matlin (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson), who notched the final goal for Mac with four minutes to play in the game. 

Macalester's game against the Golden Eagles told a similar story, though the Scots got off to a better start. Mac drew first blood when Palmer-Sammons laced one less than two minutes into the match. Though Concordia mounted a prompt response with two goals, Mac limited them for the remainder of the period to head into the second down just 2-1.

The rest of the duel was not so kind to Macalester. While Mac went scoreless in the second quarter, the Golden Eagles pounded five goals to go into halftime up 7-1. Concordia extended their lead to 10-1 before Matlin dimed up senior Kendall Coney (League City, Texas/Clear Creek) for the Scots' second score of the game in the middle of the third. Matlin got a goal of her own in the fourth off an assist from senior Sian Lewandowski (North Haven, Conn./Williston Northampton) with 1:18 to play, but that was all the Scots had for the Golden Eagles.

Matlin led her squad on the day with four points. She tallied a goal and an assist in both games. Palmer-Sammons followed Matlin with three points, logging a goal and assist against Cal State Fullerton and another goal against Concordia. 

These Scots will return to action next weekend on Friday, March 28 against Grove City in Grove City, Penn. The match will commence at 2:40 p.m. CDT. 

MAC – 1 2 0 1 - 4

CSF – 4 5 4 2 - 15

Macalester goals: Gaisser, Nadolski, Palmer-Sammons, Matlin

MAC – 1 0 1 1 - 3

CUI – 2 5 5 3 - 15

Macalester goals: Coney, Palmer-Sammons, Matlin