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Schedule

WWP vs. Wagner
Chase Messer
7
McKendree McK (21-7, 3-1 WWPA)
19
Winner Wagner WC (21-8, 11-1 MAAC)
McKendree McK
(21-7, 3-1 WWPA)
7
Final
19
Wagner WC
(21-8, 11-1 MAAC)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
McKendree McK 2 2 2 1 7
Wagner WC 2 9 6 2 19

Game Recap: Women's Water Polo | | Chase Messer, Assistant Director of Sports Information

Women’s Water Polo Concludes Historic Season in Opening Round at NC’s

Bearcats Finish the Season with a 21-8 Overall Record

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The women's water polo team put a period to their best season in program history, as they faltered against Wagner College in the Opening Round of the National Collegiate Water Polo Championships on Wednesday, May 7th at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Indiana. 

Score: McKendree University 7, Wagner College 19 

Record: Bearcats 21-8, 3-1 WWPA | Seahawks 22-8, 11-1 MAAC 

HOW IT HAPPENED

Both teams came out with a chip on their shoulder, especially the WWPA champion McKendree, who was spearheaded by sophomore center Bella Morquecho (Chicago, Ill.), giving the team their first pair of goals that gave them a 2-1 edge in the early goings. Wagner responded with a goal of their own to knot it up at two a-piece at the end of period number one. 

The Seahawks opened the second quarter with a goal to take their first lead of the match, but it was Morquecho again for the Bearcats to tie it up once again. 

To what looked to be a neck-and-neck competition immediately started to lose grip as Wagner went on a 7-0 run from the 6:15 mark to the 1:39 remaining in the second quarter. Sophomore utility Hailey Munoz (Murrieta, Calif.) halted the bleeding for McKendree by drawing a penalty against her opponent, to which she sunk in the subsequent shot. 

The 18th-ranked Seahawks followed up with four more goals, leading into the midst of the third period. By then, it was sophomore attacker Shanelle Márquez (Madrid, Spain) who provided a much-needed spark with two straight power play goals to cut the deficit to eight. 

Hopes of a comeback would start to diminish as Wagner kept their groove and dropped shots in the cage. Junior attacker Dylan Murphy (Carlsbad, Calif.) gave the Bearcats one more shot as she fired in a goal in the opening minute of the final period of regulation. 

From there, it was both teams excelling defensively down the final stretch as the Seahawks will hold on to close out the Bearcat season with the team from Lebanon, Illinois falling 7-19. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

  • Morquecho led McKendree with a hat-trick of three goals along with seven drawn exclusions. 

  • Márquez had two goals on three shot attempts. 

  • Murphy and Munoz each contributed one goal as the former had a pair of assists and a steal. 

  • Junior attacker Joey Rebelo finished with an assist an two steals. 

  • Senior goalkeeper Sydney Kane (Kanakee, Ill.) tallied 11 saves on a 36.7 save percentage. 

  • Wagner outshot the Bearcats 40-25. 

    WWP Championship Photo

UP NEXT

That will conclude the women's water polo 2025 season. McKendree University Athletics would like to thank the program and its fans for a historic season and look forward to what is to come in the future. 

Photos from this game, among other events, can be found on our official McKendree University Sports Information Flickr page by clicking HERE. 

For more updates and information on Bearcat Athletics, please continue to visit McKBearcats.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 
#BearcatsUnleashed  

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