Women’s Water Polo Earns First Win of Season

Women’s Water Polo Earns First Win of Season

LA VERNE – The University of La Verne women's water polo team earned its first victory of the season against Division II Cal State San Bernardino at the Claremont Convergence, co-hosted by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Pomona-Pitzer and La Verne. The Leopards lost other three games against NCAA upper-level schools, but showed a plenty of fight.

Game 1: VMI 15, La Verne 10

The Leopards fell into an early hole and couldn't recover in a 15-10 loss to Division I VMI.

Although Justine Mojarro put the Leopards on the board first with a goal three minutes into the game, La Verne surrendered eight first-half goals which proved to be too much to overcome. The Keydets scored four goals in each of the first two quarters to take an 8-3 lead into the break.

The Leopards matched the Keydets goal-for-goal in the second half as both team scored seven goals. Olga Quiroz scored all three of her goals in the after the break, Catie Tuning also scored three in the half and Amber Tardiff added one in the fourth quarter.

"We showed heart and intensity in the end and brought it within three, but it was already too late," La Verne head coach Alex La said.

C. Tuning scored every quarter and finished with five in the game.

Molly Andoe, Caitlyn Jackson and Sierra Payne all notched a hat trick each for VMI.

Game 2: La Verne 14, CSU San Bernardino 7

La Verne rode balanced scoring and solid team defense to defeat CSU San Bernardino, 14-7, to record its first victory of the season.

The offense got off to a quick start and the Leopards were excellent on the other end of the pool. Lora Marquez-Salgado scored just 35 seconds into the game and Quiroz and Mojarro each followed with goals to give the Leopards an early lead. La Verne then blanked CSULB in the second quarter and added three more goals on offense to take a 7-2 lead into halftime.

The Leopards led by as much as eight goals in the second half and the Coyotes would not get any closer than six.

"We carried the offensive momentum to this game," La said. "We showed good teamwork on both ends of the pool and it showed with balanced scoring from everyone."

La Verne got goals from nine different players with Quiroz leading the way with a hat trick. Marquez-Salgado, Mojarro and Sarah Jefferis each added two. Jacqueline Rojas, C. Tuning and Tardiff had one apiece.

Game 3: Gannon 10, La Verne 6

A slow start cost the Leopards as they fell to Gannon, 10-6.

The Leopards locked down defensively in the second half, limiting Gannon to three goals and shutting the Golden Knights out in the fourth quarter, but a four-goal first half deficit proved to be the difference.

Gannon's Shanen Lazenby recorded a hat trick in the first quarter and Gannon started the game on a 6-1 run spilling into the early second quarter.

Stephanie Tuning did all she could to keep the game within striking distance for the Leopards. The senior goalie made five saves in the second quarter alone and finished with eight total.

Mojarro and Marquez-Salgado scored consecutive goals to get La Verne within 10-6 with five minutes left in the game, but the La Verne could not make any further dent in the scoreboard.

Marquez-Salgado led the Leopards with two goals.

Lazenby finished with four for the Golden Knights.

Game 4: Siena 15, La Verne 12

Game 4 was a mirror opposite of Game 3 for La Verne.

La Verne got two goals each from Marquez-Salgado, Nicole Tuning and Tardiff in the first quarter to get out to an early 6-2 lead, but could not hold off the Saints as it lost, 15-12, in the final game of the tournament.

Siena slowly chipped away at the deficit and finally took a lead for the first time three minutes into the third quarter on a fast break goal by Stephanie Bundas.

The Saints added three more in the quarter to stretch their lead to 13-9, but the Leopards answered with a little run of their own to keep it close. Tardiff, Marquez-Salgado and Jefferis all scored in the final frame to get the Leopards within 14-12 with 2:36 left.

La Verne drew two exclusions in the final two minutes but could not convert the power play opportunities.

Tardiff led the Leopards with four goals. Marquez-Salgado and N. Tuning were right behind at three scores apiece.

Bundas finished with five for Siena.

La Verne returns to action next weekend at the Lancer Invitational, hosted by the Cal Baptist University. The Leopards will face Cal Baptist, Loyola Marymount, Iona and Redlands.

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