LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The 2025 Convergence Tournament came to an end on Saturday with the Caltech Beavers playing four matches and securing a win over UC Merced. It was a weekend of standout performances from the Beavers with multiple players leading in categories throughout the tournament.

Game one saw the Beavers take on the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds on Friday afternoon. The Sunbirds came away from this game victorious by a score of 18-7, but there were some good performances by the Beavers. On the offensive side, juniors Mia Mutadich (London, U.K. /  Notting Hill and Earling) and Maya Dickson (Atlanta, Ga. / North Atlanta) scored two goals a piece in the tournament opener. Defensively, junior Madelyn Gilbert (Clovis, Calif. / Clovis East) hauled in three steals while scoring a goal and notching an assist herself.

In game two, Caltech faced off against the UC Merced Bobcats on Friday evening which saw the Beavers take them down in a very close and contested 9-8 win. UC Merced jumped out of the gates early with the Bobcats scoring the first goal just 44 seconds into the match, but the Beavers were not phased by this, they scored four straight unanswered goals to end the first quarter leading 4-1.

The second quarter saw the Bobcats fight back. Three goals in the first three minutes of the quarter tied this game up at 4-4. Caltech would figure it out offensively, with two goals from sophomore Emma Titus (Hood River, Ore. / Hood River Valley) and one from Mutadich, the Beavers entered the halftime break up 7-6.

The second half was a defensive battle. Caltech would add two more goals in the third quarter and hold the Bobcats to just two goals in the second half, ending this game in a close 9-8 win for the Beavers. Defensively the Beavers were stout, accumulating 12 steals in the game, with five of those steals coming from Madelyn Gilbert. Gilbert had a fantastic game with seven assists and a field block to go with those five steals. First-year attacker Yolotzin Subdias (Los Angeles, Calif. / Eagle Rock) also had a solid game with two steals to go along with her goal and assist on the day. Senior goalkeeper Elizabeth Field (Charlottesville, Va. / Monticello) made six saves in what was a tightly contested matchup. After the game, Head Coach Jonathan Bonafede had this to say about the team's win:

"The whole team stepped up tonight and played a crucial role in this victory. The chemistry within this group is the strongest I've seen during my time here, and it showed in the way we competed. We played hard, we played for each other, and that made all the difference. This was especially evident in the final quarter, where we defended relentlessly despite being in dangerous foul trouble. Madelyn Gilbert was exceptional with seven assists, but everybody showed incredible grit tonight and, at key moments, found the back of the net, came up with a steal or block, or was encouraging and helpful on the bench. It will be a memorable game for me."

The third game of the tournament saw the Beavers battle against the nationally ranked number six Augustana Vikings. The Vikings came out victorious in this game by a score of 14-1. Subdias scored the lone goal for the Beavers to go with a steal as well. Dickson was not able to score but had her impact felt in this one notching five steals in the loss.

The tournament's last game saw the Beavers face the nationally ranked number nine Austin College Kangaroos on Saturday afternoon where Caltech fell 14-8. Mutadich led the team offensively tallying 12 shots on goal of which three reached the back of the net. She also had an assist and a field block in the game. Dickson also had an impressive game as she scored two goals and notched assists herself with four steals and two field blocks. Subdias was able to record two goals and three assists with a field block as well.

The tournament wrapped up after that fourth game the Beavers played, but there were some positive takeaways to end the weekend. Caltech's win over UC Merced was the first of the year for the Beavers, moving them in the right direction. Mia Mutadich ended the tournament in fourth place for goals scored with nine in the four games played. Madelyn Gilbert finished with 8 assists in the four games which was second in the tournament standings. Gilbert also finished tied for third in steals with nine respectively. Defensively, Maya Dickson led the tournament in both field blocks (5) and steals (12). 

The next time Coach Bonafede and his Beavers will be in action will be on Tuesday, Mar. 4 when they will welcome the Grove City Wolverines to Pasadena at 7 p.m. for the last game before conference play starts up.

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