O'FALLON, Ill. – The University of California, Merced women's water polo team dropped two closely contested matches on opening day, falling 14-11 to McKendree and 12-11 in sudden victory overtime to Augustana at the Lischwe Memorial Invitational.
Despite the losses, the Bobcats (0-2) scored double digit goals in back-to-back games for the second time in program history. Saturday marked Britt Connell's head coaching debut.
Freshman Ava Faria paced the Bobcats offense with a hat trick in each match. Claudette Asenjo scored two goals in each contest, while Abigail Conner and Kiryn Wicker had one multi-goal game.
Faria is the first freshman, second ever Bobcat, to open the season with back-to-back hat tricks. Faria joins Asenjo, who accomplished the feat in the 2024 season.
Match One | McKendree 14, UC Merced 11
Breyenne Pierce delivered the Bobcats first goal of the 2026 season just over a minute into the match. However, McKendree scored the next five goals to build an early 6-1 lead. Pierce stopped the Bearcats run with another goal in the final minute of the frame. McKendree scored before the quarter ran out, taking a 7-2 lead into the next period.
McKendree took a match-high six-goal lead at 8-2 with a goal at the 6:06 mark of the second quarter. The two teams traded goals over the next four minutes. Then, Conner scored on back-to-back possessions to bring the Bobcats within four by intermission, 10-6.
Asenjo opened the third quarter with a goal to continue to chip away at the deficit. A little later, Anna Potter and Faria scored unanswered goals and it was 11-9 with 2:31 to go in the period. McKendree got those goals back and led 13-9 going into the final eight minutes.
Faria scored the first goal of the fourth quarter and the Bobcats defense kept the squad in it, holding McKendree scoreless for the first four and a half minutes. McKendree scored at the 3:32 mark to go back up by four and make time a big factor for the Bobcats. Faria kept the Bobcats alive with a goal at the 2:27 mark, but that was the final goal of the game as the Bobcats fell 14-11.
Amelie Ramirez made three saves in the cage for UC Merced. Other notables include a goal and two assists from Piper Ferris and an assist and a steal each for Grace Tademy and Wicker.
Match Two | Augustana 12, UC Merced 11 Sudden Victory
UC Merced and Augustana needed an extra ten minutes to find a winner on Saturday, going into double sudden victory overtime before Augustana won it on a power play.
Faria answered Augustana's first goal of the game before Augustana scored back-to-back to go up 3-1 midway through the first quarter. Freshman goalkeeper Makenzie Royal scored her first career goal at the 1:18 mark of the first period as the Bobcats trailed 3-2 after one. Royal's goal started a 5-1 Bobcats scoring run that stretched into the second quarter.
Madison Marion tied the game with her first career goal coming on the first possession of the second quarter. Faria followed to give the Bobcats their first lead of the game, 4-3. After an Augustana goal, Wicker and Asenjo capped the Bobcats run for a 6-4 lead. Augustana ended the first half on a 3-1 burst to make it a 7-7 game at intermission.
Augustana scored the first goal of the third quarter to grab its first lead since the opening frame. Asenjo followed, and the game was tied at 8-8 and 9-9 as Makayla Hemphill scored her first career goal. Augustana led 10-9 going into the fourth.
Royal and the Bobcats pitched a fourth quarter shutout and got a goal from Faria midway through the frame to tie the game at 10-10, ultimately forcing overtime. Royal had two saves and a steal after the Faria goal to keep the game tied.
Augustana scored in the first overtime. Needing an answer in the second overtime, Tademy had the response on the Bobcats second possession to tie the game again at 11-11. Tademy's goal marked the fifth time the game was tied in the second half and overtime periods. Both teams came up empty on their next five combined possessions, sending the game to next goal wins.
Royal had two steals and a save in the first sudden victory overtime period to keep the Bobcats alive. Wicker and Tademy couldn't convert on their game-winning attempts.
After another break, the Bobcats misfired and then Augustana drew an exclusion. Augustana then capitalized playing six-on-five, with Anais Jones scoring the game-winner.
Royal finished with eleven saves, seven steals, one goal, and one assist in her collegiate debut. Other notables include four steals from Sophia Milton, three steals from Asenjo, and two assists from Tademy and Ferris.
Up next, UC Merced will play Carthage College on Sunday, February 8 at 7:00am PST. The match concludes the Bobcats three-match slate at the Lischwe Memorial Invitational hosted by McKendree at the McKendree Metro Rec Plex in O'Fallon, Ill.
