LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's water polo team earned their first ever win last weekend against a NCAA opponent with a 12-3 win over NCAA Division III Caltech at the Convergence Invitational. Earlier in the day, the Bobcats fell 9-3 to NCAA Division III #3 Cal Lutheran.
Liberty Hamilton led the Bobcats offense with five goals overall and scored multiple goals in each match, while Hope Stokes put together two more dominant performances in the cage with a combined 30 saves.
Match One: Cal Lutheran 9, UC Merced 3
Cal Lutheran scored three goals within the first three minutes before Hamilton deposited a shot into the back of the net to get the Bobcats on the board with 2:38 to go in the first quarter. Both teams scored one more time in the opening period, including Melanie Torres for UC Merced.
Scoring was harder to come by the rest of the match. While there were six goals scored in the first quarter, there were only a combined six goals scored the rest of the match.
Hamilton scored the next goal on a penalty shot with 3:51 to go in the first half and it brought the Bobcats within a goal at 4-3, but Cal Lutheran answered to make it 5-3 at halftime.
The Regals then outscored UC Merced 4-0 in the second half, including 3-0 in the third quarter, to finish off a 9-3 victory in the first ever meeting between the two teams.
Cal Lutheran's Bethany Metcalfe led all players with four goals.
Stokes had 15 saves for UC Merced.
Match Two: UC Merced 12, Caltech 3
UC Merced registered their second highest scoring output of the season and put together their top defensive performance in a 12-3 win over Caltech. The victory was the Bobcats first against a NCAA opponent in program history.
Piper Ferris scored a career-high four goals. Liberty Hamilton had a hat trick, while Melanie Torres and Aislyn Sorsky scored two goals each. Karla Hernandez netted her first career goal.
Ferris opened the scoring three minutes into the game in what would be a wire-to-wire win. Torres and Hamilton scored in the closing minute and the Bobcats shutout the Beavers throughout the first quarter.
Each team scored twice in the second quarter, including a Torres goal inside of 90 seconds to give the Bobcats a 5-2 lead at the break.
Head coach Johnny Bega's squad dominated the third quarter, reeling off five goals and earning a third quarter shutout. Ferris scored first and then Hamilton followed with back-to-back goals midway through the period. Sorsky and Hernandez finished off the Bobcats dominant frame with a goal each putting UC Merced up 10-2 entering the fourth.
Ferris and Sorsky added one more goal in the final period to finish off the Bobcats 12-3 win. Stokes was credited with 15 saves.
