BLOOMINGTON, Ind.— Goalkeeper Kaitlin Moreno tallied nine saves and seven Regals recorded a steal as Cal Lutheran women's water polo defeated Mercyhurst 6-3 on Sunday morning.
The win capped off the Indiana Hoosiers Tournament for the Regals as they went 2-1 over the weekend. Cal Lutheran improved to 7-4 after picking up a much-earned, defensive win.
Moreno was in the cage the whole game as she led her team to victory. The defense stepped up and combined with Moreno to shut out the Lakers in the second and third quarters, as well as a season-low three goals.
Victoria Rose Meek helped keep Mercyhurst quiet as she recorded a team-high three steals. Jessica Diaz, Christin Hirn and Lexi Rond were next with two each and Kemi Dijkstra, Kaitlin Gardhouse and Elyse Koe each had one.
Rond also provided the spark on the offense as she put up three goals and four drawn ejections. Dijkstra added two goals and Mackenzie Thomas had one. Meek tied Rond with four drawn ejections and Koe dished out two assists.
The game featured defense early and often with the first point being scored by Mercyhurst with 2:46 left in the first quarter. That opened the flood gates for the rest of the quarter as the Regals scored twice with the Lakers adding one more.
The score would go to the second quarter tied at 2. The defenses and goalies held strong in the second as neither team could find the back of the net. The Regals broke the tie in the third quarter as Dijkstra and Rond found the back of the net, and CLU took a 4-2 lead to the fourth.
The Lakers scored on their first possession of the fourth quarter, breaking their scoring drought, and cutting the lead to one point.
Cal Lutheran answered as Rond tallied her hat trick on the ensuing possession. The defenses continue their dominance the rest of the way until CLU scored its final goal. Thomas put the finishing touches on the game, scoring with 1:27 left, as the Regals won 6-3.
The Regals jump back into conference play, but on the road, as Cal Lutheran travels to Caltech for a game on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Box Score: CLU 6, MU 3
CLU Instagram: CLUSports
Sport IG: regals_water_polo
CLU Twitter: CLUSports
Sport Twitter: CLUwWaterPolo
CLU Facebook: CLUSports
Hashtags: #clusports #ownthethrone #goregals #gokingsmen #theSCIAC #ncaad3
Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
