PASADENA, Calif. – The Caltech women's water polo team defeated the Macalester College Scots Thursday evening, expertly balancing offense and defense to come away with a 9-6 victory over the No. 6 squad in all of Division III.
Caltech struck first with two goals in the first period as Mia Mutadich (London, U.K. / Notting Hill and Earling) and Maya Dickson (Atlanta, Ga. / North Atlanta) each scored while the defense held strong, not allowing the Scots to get on the board.
Macalester responded with two goals early in the second period, but Mutadich would not be denied and she fired two more goals to keep a two-goal lead. The teams traded goals to end the period, leaving a 5-3 halftime lead for the Beavers.
Caltech maintained momentum in the third period, as Dickson and Mutadich combined for three goals in the period, giving the Beavers a healthy four-goal lead headed into the final stanza. That three-goal run led to a final Mutadich goal to start the fourth period. Following that goal in the 4th period, the defense held strong and the Beavers got the win in the last non-conference match of the season.
The Beavers fed the ball in the middle to Mia Mutadich who had a total of 12 shots, five goals, an assist, and three steals. Her five goals led both teams in individual goals scored today. Maya Dickson had four goals and posted an 80% goal percentage in this contest.
The senior, Elizabeth Field (Charlottesville, Va. / Monticello) got the start at goalkeeper and was out there for all 32 minutes. Field posted an impressive 50% save percentage with six crucial saves to help secure victory for her team.
"I'm really proud of the way our team started and finished this game," Head coach Jon Bonafede said after the game. "Our defense in the second half was the main reason for this win. We had 13 steals from six different players, and Elizabeth came up with some huge saves to keep us ahead. It was a total team effort, and this was a great response in our rematch against a tough Macalester team."
Senior Charlotte Zhang (San Diego, Calif. / Torrey Pines) and sophomore Emma Titus (Hood River, Ore. / Hood River Valley) contributed to the effort with valuable assists setting up the goals by Mutadich and Dickson.
With the results of this match set in stone, Caltech gets a high-profile win and improves its season record. Down the stretch, the Beavers will be tested with all of the SCIAC matchups to end the season, their next matchup being on the road against #9 Occidental in Los Angeles, California.
For more information on our wonderful Women's Water Polo and all things Caltech Athletics, stay posted on gocaltech.com.
