THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Lexi Rond broke the all-time scoring mark with 224 goals and California Lutheran University women's water polo wrapped up the regular season with a win as the Regals took down Redlands 14-7 on Wednesday afternoon.
Cal Lutheran ended the regular season on a three-game win streak and are 16-10 overall and 9-5 in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play.
Rond was at 220 goals going into the game. She led the team with four, breaking the mark set by Joy Cyprian in 2010. Cyprian totaled 223 goals with the Regals from 2007-10.
Kemi Dijkstra tied Rond for the game-high four goals and Katherine Knight was next with a hat-trick. Jess Diaz added two more and Abby Lanier had one.
The Regals put themselves in good offensive positions with 10 drawn ejections and eight assists. Rond totaled four drawn ejections and also holds the record for most drawn ejections in a career. Kaitlin Gardhouse was next with three drawn ejections and Dijkstra had two more.
Bethany Metcalfe kept the ball moving for the Regals. She dished out a team-high four assists and Taryn Sato was next with two. Metcalfe was also big defensively. She tied with Rond for three steals each. Diaz was also key on defense with three field blocks.
Izzy De Souza and Vianne Will split time in goal. De Souza got the starts and made eight saves to go with one steal and one assist. Will took over in the second half and had one save and two steals.
The Bulldogs and Regals came to play and it was competitive right from the beginning. After the first quarter of play, Cal Lutheran had a slight edge 3-2.
The scoring continued to go back and forth as Redlands tied it early in the second. After the Regals answered to take the lead, the Bulldogs tied it again with 3:39 left in the half. Cal Lutheran made it 5-4 with 52 seconds left in the half as Rond scored a breakaway goal. The goal put the Regals up 5-4 at the break.
The defense continued in the second half as the Regals built up a lead. Cal Lutheran shutout Redlands in the third and put six goals to take a huge 11-4 lead into the fourth. It was the space Cal Lutheran needed as the Regals cruised to the win.
The Regals have clinched a spot in the SCIAC Tournament. The Regals will be on the road and play Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday at 11 a.m.
Box Score: CLU 14, UR 7
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director