ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - The women's water polo team picked up another pair of victories on the road against DIII No.6 Augustana College and Carthage College at the Anne Greve Lund Natatorium in Rock Island, Illinois.
MATCH ONE vs. Augustana
BOX SCORE
Score: McKendree University 9, Augustana College 5
Record: Bearcats 6-3, 0-0 WWPA | Vikings 0-1, 0-0 CWPA
HOW IT HAPPENED
Augustana opened up the match with a slight 2-1 lead in the initial minutes of action with their utilities in sophomore Waiahuli Akau and senior Charlotte Newport dropping one in each as McKendree's leading scorer, sophomore center Bella Morquecho (Chicago, Ill.), gave her team their first goal.
In the final minutes of the first quarter and throughout the majority of the second period of play, the Bearcats tacked on five straight goals with Morquecho snagging her second of the game while junior attacker Joey Rebelo (Montreal, Québec) fired in a pair within the monumental scoring spurt. Viking freshman attacker Emma Blezien stopped the bleeding for her squad with a goal to cut their deficit to three, losing at 3-6.
McKendree went on a 3-0 run soon after that led them midway through the third period as Rebelo connected on her third goal within as sophomore utility Hailey Munoz (Murrieta, Calif.) earned her second score of the game.
The home Augustana squad closed out the third period with a scoring possession from senior attacker Maggie Caliendo as well all putting in the only goal in the fourth quarter from their junior attacker Mary King, but it would not be enough to match the Bearcat handlings as McKendree would win 9-5.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
MATCH TWO vs. Carthage
BOX SCORE
Score: McKendree University 13, Carthage College 7
Record: Bearcats 7-3, 0-0 WWPA | Firebirds 1-7, 0-0 CWPA
HOW IT HAPPENED
Carthage had things going their way in the early goings, as they jumped out to a 3-1 lead behind a pair of goals by freshman attacker Xiomara Trejo and one from junior attacker Grace Steinberg while Morquecho again – for the second straight game – gave McKendree their first goal of the match.
Down but not out, the Bearcats would respond like they did against Augustana earlier in the day, as they reeled off eight straight goals with Morquecho earning three within to give her a second hat-trick of the day. The other five scoring possessions were contributed by five different McKendree players, giving an all-around effort in their offensive playstyle.
With the McKendree 8-0 run lasting all the way till the midst of the second period, the Firebirds would finally get back on the board with two straight goals, both coming from Trejo to put herself on four goals for the afternoon matchup as Carthage would be down by four.
From 5:12 to 2:16 inside the third quarter, the Bearcats would tack on their final four goals of the day with Munoz, sophomore attacker Shanelle Márquez (Madrid, Spain), junior attacker Jazmine Sandoval (Westminster, Calif.), and junior center defender Allie Diller (Grand Ledge, Mich.) each getting their second goals of the game.
The Firebirds would find themselves down by eight late in the third period of play but would get one inside in the final moments of the quarter plus one more in the final period of regulation. The Bearcats would win their second match of the day, 13-7.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
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Márquez, Sandoval, Munoz, and Diller each supported with two goals each as the former three also tallied an assist.
UP NEXT
McKendree will be back in action next weekend when they hit the road to the Macalester Invitational, which will be hosted by Macalester College. They will face Ottawa University Arizona at 10:00 AM CT and Macalester at 2:30 PM CT on Saturday, February 15th. Then, they will take on Virginia Military Institute at 9:00 AM CT and Caltech at 2:00 PM CT on day two on Sunday, February 16th. All games will be played at the Riley Pool in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
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