SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The McKendree University women's water polo team swept a pair of matches on Saturday at the Wittenberg Invitational as the Bearcats earned an 18-5 win over Grove City and then collected a 21-6 win over Wittenberg at the Wittenberg Natatorium.
With the two wins, McKendree improves to 13-4 on the season and has now won three straight matches and seven of their last eight overall with the only loss being a 17-9 home setback on March 19 to Salem University in WWPA action.
On the day, senior center
Abigail Burton (Chino, Calif./Chino) led the way offensively for the Bearcats with 10 goals and added one assist, while graduate student utility player
Jaleh Moaddeli (Newport Beach, Calif./GWU) had eight goals and four assists and junior center/utility player
Katelyn Rodrigue (Brentwood, Calif/Heritage) scored seven goals and had four assists. Senior attacker
Maddy Bolton (Alta Loma, Calif./Los Osos) had five goals and two assists.
The Bearcats are back in action next weekend (April 9-10) as they play three WWPA matches at the Hallman Aquatics Center at Cathedral Prep in Erie, Pa. They will open the weekend with a 10:30 a.m. Eastern match on April 9 against Mercyhurst, before facing Salem on April 9 at 2 p.m. Eastern and concluding the weekend with a 10 a.m. Eastern match on April 10 against Gannon.
McKENDREE 18, GROVE CITY 5
Moaddeli and Rodrigue scored the first two goals of the match in the opening 70 seconds to jump in front 2-0. After Grove City got a goal from Kamryn Kerr to drop McKendree's lead to 2-1 with six minutes left in the opening period.
The Bearcats would close the period by scoring eight straight goals to take a 10-1 lead after the first period. Burton and Moaddeli combined to score five of those eight goals as Moaddeli tallied three and Burton had two goals.
After GCC opened the scoring in the second period on a goal by Sophia Melanson, the Bearcats reeled off five straight goals to take a 15-2 lead with less than a minute left in the period. Moaddeli would score three of those five goals, including the final two. GCC capped the scoring the period on a goal by Elaine Miller with 35 seconds left.
Bolton scored two of her three goals in the third period as the Bearcats took a 17-4 lead after three periods. In the fourth period, sophomore attacker Wandlie Banda (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe/Girls College) capped the scoring on a goal with 2:39 left in the final period.
Moaddeli led the way for McKendree with seven goals and three assists, while Burton and Rodrigue each had three goals in the win and Bolton added two goals.
McKendree outshot GCC, 33-14 with Moaddeli leading the way with eight shots, while Banda had six shots and Burton added five shots in the win.
Melanson and Miller each scored two goals for the Wolverines.
All three Bearcats goalies on the roster played in the game as freshman
Sydney Kane (Bradley, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) had three saves and two assists. Sophomore
Rio Tomlinson (Okemos, Mich./Okemos) had two saves and a steal.
McKendree Goals: Moaddeli 7, Burton 3, Rodrigue 3, Bolton 2, Banda 1, Guzman 1, Manuel 1.
McKendree Assists: Moaddeli 3, Kane 2, Manuel 2, Guzman 1, Rodrigue 1.
McKendree Saves: Kane 3, Tomlinson 2.
McKENDREE 21, WITTENBERG 6
The Bearcats jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first five-plus minutes of the match and led 10-2 at the half, including scoring seven straight goals over a span of seven-plus minutes in the first and second periods. The Bearcats would then add seven more goals in the third period to hold a 17-5 lead heading into the final period.
Burton led the way offensively with seven goals, while Rodrigue added four goals and three assists and sophomore attacker
Jasmin Guzman (Cicero, Ill./Morton East) and Bolton each had three goals. For the match, eight different Bearcats scored at least one goal and nine Bearcats had at least one assist.
Rodrigue and junior attacker
Courtney Smith (Stockton, Calif./Sonoma State) each led the way with three assists, while Bolton, Kane and senior attacker
Carley Manuel (Lantana, Texas/Guyer) each had two assists.
After the teams combined for four goals in the first period, the Bearcats offense exploded for six goals in the second period, including Burton scoring four of those six goals to take a 10-2 halftime lead.
Guzman and Rodrigue each scored two goals in the third period to give the Bearcats its 17-5 lead.
Burton would score two goals in the fourth period, while Bolton and junior attacker
Nicky Rafalo (Chicago, Ill./Maine South) would cap the scoring for the Bearcats with a goal at the 3:07 mark.
Kane played the entire match in goal and made 10 saves and had two assists in the win.
Wittenberg got two goals from Savannah Morgenroth-Cross in the match.
McKendree outshot the Tigers, 32-23 and Burton and Rodrigue combined for 17 shots.
Jordan Brough played all 32 minutes in goal and made seven saves, while allowing 21 goals.
McKendree Goals: Burton 7, Rodrigue 4, Bolton 3, Guzman 3, Moaddeli 1, Rafalo 1, Scanlon 1, Smith 1.
McKendree Assists: Rodrigue 3, Smith 3, Bolton 2, Kane 2, Manuel 2, Borelli 1, Burton 1, Moaddeli 1, Scanlon 1.
McKendree Saves: Kane 10.
