ERIE, Pa. – The women's water polo team rebounded in a strong way after dropping their first conference contest of the regular season against Salem University to score a season-high 23 goals versus Penn State Behrend later on day one of the WWPA Erie Classic, held at the Hagerty Family Events Center in Erie, Pennsylvania.
GAME ONE vs. Salem
BOX SCORE
Score: McKendree University 13, Salem University 15
Record: Bearcats 5-14, 0-1 WWPA | Tigers 7-6, 1-0 WWPA
HOW IT HAPPENED
Things got aggressive early between the two conference opponents, as Salem was able to draw a quick pair of five-meter penalties within the first two minutes of the game, to which was converted on with the subsequent shots. Junior attacker Shanelle Márquez (Madrid, Spain) knocked in the Bearcats' first goal of the event 27 seconds after the major fouls.
After the Tigers responded with a power play opportunity, McKendree went on a 4-0 flurry, backed by a couple of successful shots into the cage by senior attacker Joey Rebelo (Montreal, Québec, Canada) to take the 5-3 lead to close the first quarter. Salem handled the tempo in the second period with a 5-2 advantage, including the first four of the eight-minute slate to go up by one in leading 8-7 at halftime.
Márquez opened up the second half just like the first, giving her squad their first scoring possession, where she would tie the game up in no time. However, a 7-1 run by the Tiger offense became the turning point to give them a six-point edge with still a little over five minutes to go in the final period of regulation.
With both teams still in each other's faces, McKendree tried to claw back into contention with leading scorer Bella Morquecho (Chicago, Ill.) finally getting on the board with a pair of goals, as Rebelo tabbed in a third for a hat-trick to help close the game out on a 4-0 spurt, but it would not be enough to make a comeback, as the Bearcats would drop their conference opener 13-15.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Rebelo led the Bearcats with a hat-trick of three goals along with a trio of assists for six total points, as she also collected three steals on the defensive end.
• Márquez, Morquecho, and sophomore attacker Maisie Mattocks (Shutesbury, Mass.) each tabbed two goals in the setback, with Morquecho stuffing the stat sheet with a pair of assists, five exclusions drawn, and a takeaway.
• Freshman goalkeeper Delaney Judkins (La Grange, Ill.) played all 32:00 minutes inside the net and finished with 11 saves.
GAME TWO vs. Penn State Behrend
BOX SCORE
Score: McKendree University 23, Penn State Behrend 16
Record: Bearcats 6-14, 0-1 WWPA | Lions 4-7, 0-0 CWPA
HOW IT HAPPENED
Looking to rebound in a big way after falling short in their WWPA opener to Salem earlier in the day, McKendree did not show signs of fatigue and scored 10 goals in the first quarter of action. Senior attacker Dylan Murphy (Carlsbad, Calif.) initiated the first goal of the contest before Behrend answered with a pair to take a brief lead. Subsequently after, the Bearcats enacted a 9-2 run to close out the quarter, fueled by a trio of goals scored by Mattocks to earn herself the early hat-trick as sophomore attacker Kaitlyn Goins (East Grand Rapids, Mich.) and the freshman utility Charlie Monroe (The Woodlands, Texas) each twined the net with a pair for themselves to lead by six at the first break.
The offensive prowess slowed down by a tad where the two sides sprinted into quarter number two, trying to find any open crease they could. Sophomore center Victoria Goncalves (Orlando, Fla.) notched her first goal of the season and third of her career to lead off her club back in the right direction, as fellow sophomore Kieryn Blayone (Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada) also connected on her first of the year and third in her career exactly two minutes after Goncalves. Monroe slipped one in on the very next possession to put her on the hat-trick board to lead 13-8 at the halfway mark.
Right after the Lions began the second half of play with a goal on their end, the Bearcats went on a blazing 7-0 spurt, where Márquez had a personal 3-0 run within that span to put McKendree well ahead of the opposition by 12 with still a quarter to go in regulation.
Three more Bearcats earned their first career-goals in the final four goals produced in the game, consisting of freshman center defender Morgan Clark (Eureka, Mo.), freshman utility Madeline McGovern (Frankfort, Ill.), and sophomore utility Adrienne Densham (Grand Blanc, Mich.) as the Bearcats held on strong to close day one of the event with a 23-16 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• The freshman Monroe produced four goals on eight shot attempts (50.0%), while drawing three exclusions in the process.
• Mattocks also put up a team-high for goals scored for her first career hat-trick, as she did so on all four shot attempts while adding an assist to spread the wealth.
• Márquez joined Monroe and Mattocks with a hat-trick for herself, making it her sixth of the season, while contributing an assist and a trio of takeaways on the defensive end.
• Scoring their first-ever collegiate career goals were Morgan Clark, Victoria Goncalves, Adrienne Densham, and Madeline McGovern.
• McKendree outshot Behrend 41-28.
• The Bearcats won the steal battle 17-12, their most all season.
• The 23 total goals scored by McKendree are the most since February 25th, 2022, when they dropped in 25 in a win against Carthage College... as they also put in 24 earlier that day as part of a two-game double header against the Firebirds.
UP NEXT
McKendree will be back for day two of the WWPA Erie Classic tomorrow, March 15th as they will face off against the host Gannon University in an early morning 7:00 AM CT tilt, and will conclude against Mercyhurst University at 10:00 AM CT with both matches remaining at the Hagerty Family Events Center in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Only the contest against Gannon can be watched for free live and on demand on the WWPA Network, as the Mercyhurst game will have no streaming options. Live stats will also be provided to the public via The FOSH for both games.
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