Water polo drops heartbreaker to Whittier

ORANGE, Calif. – A late lead slipped away as the Chapman University women's water polo team dropped a 15-14 heartbreaker to Whittier. Alyssa Fricker scored six goals to lead the Panthers but the Poets used a fourth quarter surge to get the comeback win.

After mostly trading goals through the first quarter, the Poets started to pull away in the second and grabbed a 7-4 lead on an Ally Burke goal with 6:13 left in the quarter. Camille Chiang and Fricker scored back-to-back goals to pull Chapman back within one and spark a 6-1 Chapman run.

Whittier responded but Julia Bridges scored the first goal of the half to make it 8-7. Kasey Markell pulled Chapman even just 28 seconds into the third quarter and Riley Eaves scored a minute and a half later to give Chapman the lead.

The Panthers continued to pull away and outscored Whittier 7-2 in the third quarter to take a 14-10 lead into the final period. However, the Panthers did not find the back of the net again. Alexys Puche made 15 saves in the match and kept the Panthers off the board while the Poets roared back.

Burke pulled the Poets even with just over one minute left and Jaycee Morris scored the game-winner with just 28 seconds remaining. Puche made two huge saves in the final possession with Chapman pulling the goalie for a 7-on-6 advantage in the final moments. The Poets were able to grab the loose ball after her second save and run out the clock.

The Panthers are back home for their final home match of the season next Saturday to take on Caltech at 11 a.m.

By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director