PRINCETON, N.J. - The 2016 Cal Lutheran women's water polo season got underway 3,000 miles away this weekend at the Princeton Invitational where the Regals faced a tough slate of Division I programs.
NOVA def. CLU 10-6
On Friday afternoon, the season got started with six different players scoring including newcomers Mardell Ramirez and Megan Seeman. Ramirez also led the Regals with two assists while Seeman had two of the three field blocks. In her first appearance for CLU in the pool, 20115 women's soccer player Nicole Roed earned a team-leading three steals in her water polo debut. Additionally, Maddie Campbell and Sam Wulfestieg notched a pair of drawn ejections apiece. Gina Merry did the goalkeeping, recording eight saves
IONA def. CLU 15-11
Ramirez scored a hat-trick with two assists, four steals and a drawn ejection to lead the Regals against the Gaels. Kristi McGee scored the first goals of her CLU career against Iona with a pair and Amanda Jones added two more. Roed and Tatiana McCuaig each handed out two assists. McGee also grabbed three steals and earned two drawn ejections while Jones recorded the only field block of the game. Seeman and Wulfestieg tallied two drawn ejections apiece as well. Again manning the cage, Merry notched nine saves for CLU.
PRINCE def. CLU 16-6
A second straight hat-trick for Ramirez paced the Regals for half of the team scoring plays. Maggie Kurzeka handed out two assists and seven different players drew an ejection with McGee earning a pair. Defensively, McGee grabbed three steals and Ramirez came up with two while Jones was responsible for the lone field block of the game. Merry earned five saves and a steal as the goalie for CLU.
BUCKNELL def. CLU 13-8
To start the final day of competition, both Jones and McGee found the back of the net a trio of times for a hat-trick apiece. Additionally, Jones chipped in with three assists and a drawn ejection while Roed drew two ejections. McCuaig tallied a filed block and Merry turned away eight shots. Kurzeka, McGee, Merry, Ramirez and Roed each had two steals.
WAGNER def. CLU 17-2
The final game of the tournament was the toughest one as CLU managed just a pair of goals in the second stanza, coming from Jones and Seeman with McCuaig supplying an assist. McGee again paced the defense with three steals and Merry finished with five saves.
Notables: Everyone who traveled appeared in the pool for the Violet and Gold this weekend. McGee, Ramirez, Roed and Seeman each made her CLU debut against Villanova.
Up Next: Cal Lutheran (0-5) will host a mini-tournament with Azusa Pacific and Grove City with the two neutral teams playing at 10:00 a.m. followed by CLU facing APU and GC at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., respectively, on Friday, Feb. 19 inside of the Samuelson Aquatics Center.
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