The Lancers Open the Convergence Tournament 2-0

Friday, March 1

Whittier, CA

12:45 PM

California Baptist University

Whittier College

California Baptist

Whittier

Photo by: Ryley Collom

The Lancers Open the Convergence Tournament 2-0

3/1/2024 10:15:00 PM | Women's Water Polo

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Ryley Collom, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications & Digital Media

WHITTIER--- The California Baptist University women's water polo team swept the opening day of the Convergence Tournament with wins over Whittier and Cal State East Bay.

The Lancers began the tournament by doubling up Whittier College 14-7 and finished the day with a last-minute victory over the CSUEB Pioneers. The wins push CBU's record to 6-9 in the early portion of the season and bump the win streak to three.

Starting the day off right with a big dub against the Poets!#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/pjJgB7TMYA
— California Baptist Women's Water Polo (@LancersWWP) March 1, 2024

GAME 1:

The Lancers opened the tournament at the Slade Aquatics Center with a tilt against one of the host schools in the Whittier College Poets. CBU converted two goals off of power plays in the first period courtesy of Amber Nielsen and Celeste Almendariz to grab the early-game momentum. Emaly Hutton fired in two more goals in the opening minutes of the second period before Whittier responded with a pair of goals to cut the lead in half.

The Lancers would tack on three more goals before halftime to capture firm control of the match at 7-2. CBU would further expand its lead in the third quarter by outscoring the Poets 4-1. Whittier looked to mount a comeback in the top half of the final period by scoring three unanswered goals to cut the deficit to five under four minutes. However, goals by Cayleigh Carter, Madison Haworth, and Delilah Moreno on the ensuing possessions would wrap the game in favor of CBU, as the Lancers would go on to win 14-7.

The win was the 12th for the Lancers against the Poets in the all-time series in their first meeting since 2017. Four Lancers notched multiple goals in the contest, including a hat trick by Hutton, who also tied for the team lead in assists with two. The hat trick was the sixth of the season for Hutton and her second multi-assist game as a sophomore. Haworth also put together a stellar performance with a pair of goals and assists in the contest. Delilah Moreno and Grace Bergquist also registered multiple goals in the game, and Bergquist would add two steals to her stat sheet.

Tyanna Schneider played the full 32 minutes in the cage for the Lancers while posting nine saves and an assist.

GAME 2:

The day one finale for CBU was against Cal State East Bay and would prove to be a thriller. The Lancers and Pioneers were dead even for the majority of the match, with neither team holding a lead that exceeded three goals. The Lancers seized momentum early with a 3-1 run to begin the match, but East Bay responded in the middle of the second period with two goals of their own to knot the match at three goals.

Hutton and Almendariz would punch in two goals before the half's end to give CBU the 5-3 halftime advantage. An Almendariz goal in the opening few minutes of the fourth period gave the Lancers their largest lead at 9-6. East Bay would mount a furious fourth-period rally, rattling off three goals within the span of two and a half minutes to knot the game at nine apiece. The two teams held each other scoreless on the next few possessions before a Kyra Kahahawai goal at 52 seconds broke the tie and would hold as the game-winning score.

‼️LANCERS WIN‼️

Kyra Kahahawai nets the game winner with less than a minute to go to secure the Friday sweep for CBU!#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/G2Kxw9oCjE
— California Baptist Women's Water Polo (@LancersWWP) March 2, 2024

Moreno anchored CBU's offense in the second game of the day, earning her first career hat trick as a freshman. Moreno fired away six shots total in the match and won a sprint in the victory. Almendariz also had a busy afternoon, with two goals, one assist, a drawn exclusion, and a steal. Schneider once again played the distance in the cage for CBU and held the Pioneers under double-digits on the scoreboard. Schneider added in four saves to bring her total to 13 on the day.

NEXT: The Lancers will continue at the Convergence Tournament with two more matches on Saturday, March 2, beginning at 9:15 AM as they take on the LIU Sharks in Claremont, CA, and closing at 1 PM against Marist.