Biola captures first WWPA Championship, punches ticket to Nationals
O'FALLON, Ill. - Top seed Biola used a 7-0 second-half run to capture the 2023 WWPA Championship, 10-3, over No. 4 seed Cal State Monterey Bay on Sunday afternoon at the McKendree Metro Rec Plex.
The Eagles (17-14), in just their second year as an intercollegiate program, receive the WWPA's automatic bid to the National Collegiate Women's Water Polo Championship as a result of their first conference title.
The seven unanswered goals were made possible by an Eagle defense that held CSUMB (8-21) scoreless for the final 15:31 of regulation. The defense racked up 16 steals while Samantha Rainey and Damaris Kientz anchored the defense by limiting the Otters to .120 (3-for-25) shooting on the afternoon.
"Our players started coming here during COVID and trusted that they wanted to be here at Biola without even visiting. Some transferred from other schools, and so they've really come together to build a culture, one step and game at a time from last year to this year," said Biola head coach Sarah Orozco. "We're honored to be in this conference. And, even just to make the championship game, we're blessed, we're honored and we're thankful."
Kourtney Pyle led the way with five points (2g, 3a) and Veralie Naranjo scored a game-high three, including a hard-right hander that put the Eagles up 2-0 early.
CSUMB didn't break through until a minute into the second quarter when Kaya Eaton scored with a man up. She added another with a back-hand from close range which made it 2-2 at the 5:11 mark.
The Eagles had a one-goal advantage at the break, but Shelby Fortune brought the Otters back even with a bar-down goal as the shot clock expired at the 7:31 mark of the second quarter. It'd be the last time they'd find the net.
WWPA Championship Most Outstanding Player Marija Mijuskovic answered right away from long range before Pyle renewed BU's two-goal lead by converting a penalty on the next possession to make it 5-3. The Otters failed to convert and Maria Roldan-Gonzalez tickled the twine to increase the lead to three.
Naranjo scored on the next possession to make it 7-3 Eagles. Pyle's second penalty shot made it 8-3 before Lizzy Birch's goal off a clever pass from Roldan-Gonzalez increased the lead to six. Mijuskovic capped it off with her second goal with 1:31 left.
Another piece of history was written with the Eagle victory. Coach Orozco becomes the first female head coach in conference history to win the WWPA Championship and receive the conference's automatic bid to Nationals. The WWPA has been sending women's teams to Nationals since 2001.
"I think I had my own personal journey of self-doubt that I could do certain things, and couldn't do other things," said Orozco. "I love people. I love to mentor them and push them to their highest level. I have a passion for that. I'm humbled, I didn't know that [I'm the first]. I don't really have any words."
Cal State Monterey Bay was appearing in its first WWPA Championship game as well. The Otters upset East No. 1 seed McKendree and West No. 2 seed Cal State East Bay on the first two days of the tournament.
Eaton had two goals and an assist in the title game. Megan Taylor had nine saves in goal.
WWPA All-Tournament Team
1st Team
Most Outstanding Player: Marija Mijuskovic, R-So., Biola
Maria Roldan Gonzalez, R-Jr., Biola
Veralie, Narjanjo, So., Biola
Megan Taylor, Jr., Cal State Monterey Bay
Shelby Fortune, So., Cal State Monterey Bay
Daniela Passoni, Gr., Cal State East Bay
Hope Grantham, So., Cal State East Bay
Rosemary Chapman, Sr., Fresno Pacific
2nd Team
Lizzy Birch, So., Biola
Kaya Eaton, Fr., Cal State Monterey Bay
Allyson Ainsworth, So., Cal State Monterey Bay
Rachel Heredia, So., Cal State East Bay
Emily Lopez-Ibarra, Jr., Fresno Pacific
Jaleh Moaddeli, Gr., Mckendree
Hanna Good, So., Mercyhurst
Claudia Cziernawski, Fr., Salem
Jackie Strickland, So., Gannon
3rd Place Game
#2 Cal State East Bay 12 - #3 Fresno Pacific 10 (OT) | Box
Two West Region teams who split their regular season series provided third-place game drama, as No. 2 seed Cal State East Bay (16-15) defeated No. 3 Fresno Pacific (13-16), 12-10, in overtime.
Elise Whitworth's spinning rocket from in deep helped CSUEB take the lead in the second OT period.
WWPA Player of the Year Dani Passoni then made back-to-back point blank saves to keep FPU from pulling even. The next trip down the pool, Luna Sarmiento tapped-in a rebound to put the Pioneers in the lead for good.
Knotted at the half, the first two-goal advantage came late in the third when CSUEB's Luna Sarmiento and Hannah Peercy scored back-to-back to make it 8-6.
FPU pulled back even midway with five minutes remaining in the fourth with goals from Natalie Kisling and Hannah Walker that made it 9-9.
Hope Grantham handed CSUEB the lead again, but Rosemary Chapman answered on a power play to make it 10-10 after Tatum Benson drew an ejection in the fourth.
Sarmiento had four goals and two assists and Grantham added three goals and an assist for CSUEB.
FPU's Emily Lopez-Ibarra contributed four goals and two assists.
5th Place Game
#1 McKendree 14 - #3 Mercyhurst 7 | Box
An 8-0 McKendree run over a 17-minute span built an eight-goal lead the Bearcats never left in doubt as East Region No. 1 McKendree (18-9) topped No. 3 Mercyhurst (7-15) 14-7 in the fifth-place game.
Jaleh Moaddeli led all players with seven points on four goals and three assists, while Johanna Rebelo followed with five points on two goals and three assists. Abigail Burton added a hat trick.
Ava Gebhardt and Hanna Good each scored twice for Mercyhurst.
7th Place Game
#2 Salem 7 - #4 Gannon | Box
Taegan Hack's penalty shot with 19 seconds remaining lifted No. 2 Salem over No. 4 Gannon in a back-and-forth seventh-place game.
After SU (10-17) goalie Lorelei Weaver denied GU's (6-19) Julia Kreidinger's attempt with under 30 seconds to play, the ball was outletted to Caludia Cziernawski in the middle of the pool. She was pulled down from behind, drawing an ejection before passing it off to Hack. Hack was quickly pulled down at two meters, drawing the penalty shot.
She rifled her third goal of the game past Sydney Klakeg to hand the defending champion Tigers the victory.