'Roos Stymied in CWPA Semifinals

MOLINE, Ill. - The Austin College women's water polo team was shut down offensively in its CWPA Division III semifinal showdown with host school Augustana on Saturday afternoon, as the 'Roos were limited to five goals in a 10-5 defeat. Austin College will now take on Macalester in the third-place game of the championships on Sunday at noon.

Austin College got on the scoreboard first with a goal by Bianca Gallegos, but Augustana countered with three in a row to surge ahead 3-1 with just over three minutes left in the opening quarter. Gallegos tallied again just before time expired, making it a 3-2 game after the first quarter. Augustana pushed the margin to 4-2 on a penalty shot midway through the second, but Gallegos completed her first half hat trick 17 seconds later to pull Austin College back to within one. However, the 'Roos found themselves trailing 6-3 at halftime after two late goals by the Vikings.

Neither team was able to put one in the back of the net in the third quarter, keeping the score 6-3 heading into the final frame. Augustana scored early to push it to a 7-3 game before Lexy Hulse dented the twine to keep the 'Roos in it at 7-4. The Vikings scored the next three, however, extending the lead to 10-4 with 1:04 left in the game, before one final goal from Gallegos to make it a 10-5 final.

Gallegos finished with four goals to lead Austin College, also adding a pair of drawn exclusions, and Joslyn Dimitri and McKenna Malone both had two steals. Morgan Evans and Ashley Chand each had an assist in the defeat.