WHITTIER, Calif. – Caltech's women's water polo team took on SCIAC rival Whittier College Poets on Wednesday evening, holding the game close throughout and showcasing some impressive individual performances.

After conceding the first two goals, the Beavers shut down the home team for nearly six minutes, trading goals in the last minute of the first quarter as sophomore Maya Dickson (Atlanta, GA / North Atlanta) put Caltech on the board with assistance from classmate Mia Mutadich (London, U.K. / Notting Hill and Earling).

Senior Emma Gurcan (Istanbul, Turkey / Lincoln HS; Portland, Ore.) found the back of the net in the second quarter for the Beavers' second goal, and Caltech went into the halftime break trailing by three.

First-year Emma Titus (Hood River, Ore. / Hood River Valley) went 3-for-3 in sprints and assisted Caltech's third goal as Dickson scored her second of the game with about three minutes left in the third quarter. Sophomore Madelyn Gilbert (Clovis, Calif. / Clovis East) rippled the rope with another Beaver goal just a couple minutes later.

Caltech held pace with Whittier in the final quarter, as Dickson, Mutadich and Gilbert all tallied goals. Dickson was the game's only three-goal scorer; Gilbert followed with two goals and a team-high three steals.

Goalkeepers Mahi Ravi (Mountain View, Calif. / Saratoga) and Elizabeth Field (Charlottesville, Va. / Monticello) split the Beavers' net-minding duties at the half, and each recorded four crucial saves in the effort. 

Head Coach Jon Bonafede and the Beavers will hit the road again on Saturday, facing the Cal Lutheran Regals in Thousand Oaks, Calif. at 11 a.m.