LOS ANGELES — Mardell Ramirez scored five goals, on just six attempts, as Cal Lutheran Regals water polo defeated the Occidental Tigers 16-5 on Saturday afternoon at Taylor Pool.
The Regals won their third straight game while holding each opponent to five points or less. CLU remained undefeated in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play at 3-0 and is now 9-6 on the season.
Ramirez put on a show and her teammates chimed in as Christin Hirn, Victoria Rose Meek and Nikki Roed all had two goals. Nine different Regals scored in all as Jessica Diaz, Nicole Guerriero, Lexi Rond, Mackenzie Thomas and Susanna Zdolsek each added one.
The defense stepped up big as the Regals shut the Tigers down. Bailey Meyer was in goal and made 10 steals to go along with two assists and one steal. CLU recorded 19 steals, led by Kaitlin Gardhouse with four and Hirn and Roed added three each.
The offense rolled and was 6-for-9 on power play opportunities. Rond tallied a team-high four drawn ejections and Meek recorded two more. On the other side, the Regals held the Tigers to 0-for-8.
Occidental scored two of its five goals in the first quarter and had the early lead. Cal Lutheran answered with a 3-0 run before the Tigers stopped it with a goal of their own. The Regals led 4-3 with 7:25 left in the half. From the 5:15 mark in the second to the 2:40 mark in the fourth, CLU outscored OXY by an impressive 12-0 mark. The Tigers scored the final three goals as the Regals won the game easily with a score of 16-5.CLU had a shooting percentage of .552 as the offense found the back of the net early and often.
The Regals continue their season with conference play. Cal Lutheran is on the road and takes on La Verne, Tuesday, at 4 p.m.
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director