IRVINE, Calif. – The women's water polo team fell in the final minutes of regulation after holding a slight lead against (4W) Fresno Pacific University in part one of a 5th-7th place round robin on Saturday, April 11th, at the William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine, California.
Score: McKendree University 7, Fresno Pacific University 8
Record: Bearcats 9-19, 1-3 WWPA | Sunbirds 8-19, 2-6 WWPA
HOW IT HAPPENED
Fresno Pacific converts on the first three goals of the game, as it was not until 1:05 left in the first period that McKendree finally got a shot to sail in, as junior attacker Shanelle Márquez (Madrid, Spain) scored off a five-meter penalty attempt. Márquez would make use of another contact-led opportunity by sinking a man-up goal five minutes into the second period, whereas freshman utility Charlie Monroe (The Woodlands, Texas) rebounded off her two-goal quarterfinal the day prior with her third of the tournament with a minute to go before halftime.
After the Sunbirds opened up the second half of action with another scoring possession to go up 6-3, the Bearcats roared back to take their first lead of the match by scoring four unanswered to go up 7-6 with 4:49 to go in the final period of regulation. Márquez once again was the focal point of attack for the Bearcat squad by making two of the four goals scored, while attackers Joey Rebelo (Montreal, Québec, Canada) and Mikayla Brown (Concord, Calif.) contributing on the other two.
A power play conversion by FPU knotted the game at seven apiece a minute and a half after McKendree's spurt, and would respond to it with a go-ahead goal with 1:30 left of play. A missed shot by the Bearcats and an offensive foul surrendered the team's opportunity to force overtime, with the Sunbirds escaping with a 8-7 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
• Márquez led with four goals on 10 attempts (40.0%).
• Rebelo, Brown, and Monroe each tabbed one goal in the close setback, with the latter collecting a steal.
• Senior center defender Allie Diller (Grand Ledge, Mich.) dished out a pair of assists.
• Freshman goalkeeper Delaney Judkins (La Grange, Ill.) came away with 11 saves and two takeaways.
• McKendree led 6-3 on steals.
UP NEXT
McKendree will be back in action tomorrow, Sunday April 12th, for the final day of the WWPA Championships and part two of the tournament's round robin, with hopes to claim sixth place, as they will face (2E) Gannon University at 12:15 PM CT.
The game streamed for free live and on demand on the WWPA Network. Live stats will be provided to the public via The FOSH. Tickets can be purchased at cuigoldeneagles.com.
Make sure to keep up with McKendree University Water Polo on Instagram, X (Twitter), and TikTok. #NCAAwaterpolo
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