CLAREMONT Calif. - Despite tying things with 10 seconds to play in regulation, the Cal Lutheran women's water polo team was edged in overtime by Pomona-Pitzer, 9-7, on the road in league play this morning.
The Sagehens struck first, but goals from Christina Messer and Kehau Ai, with 20 seconds to play in the first period, put CLU ahead 2-1 after one.
Pomona-Pitzer piled on the offense in the second stanza, scoring five goals. Morgan McCardell scored the first of her two goals for CLU in the quarter. The Regals trailed 6-3 at the break.
After halftime the Regals remained focused and chipped away at the deficit. The teams exchanged goals in the third quarter.
McCardell sparked a four-goal run, scoring the lone goal in the third, as CLU added three unanswered fourth quarter goals to knot things up. While the CLU defense stepped up to keep the Hens off the board, Kelsey Bergemann netted back-to-back goals at the 3:39 and 1:18 marks, respectively. With 10 seconds to play, Cal Lutheran drew their eighth 5m call of the game and Messer stepped up in the clutch, scoring, to send the contest into overtime.
In each of the overtime periods, PP added a goal while CLU was unable to find the back of the net.
Shannon Streeter drew four ejections and Messer drew a trio. McCardell and Messer each scored a pair and Ai handed out two assists.
Defensively, Bergemann and Streeter had three steals apiece and Claire Whitten and Tiffany Ly each had two. Kylie Tomasetti played the entire contest in front of the cage and turned away six PP shots.
Cal Lutheran (15-8, 3-1) will be back home on Wednesday, April 18 when they host Whittier at 5:00 p.m. Prior to the start of the game, CLU will honor its seniors.
