ROCK ISLAND, Ill. - The Connecticut College women's water polo team claimed seventh place at the 2025 CWPA Championships, after going 2-2 on the weekend.
GAME ONE: Conn 17, Wheaton 2
Conn dominated the opening game of the tournament, jumping out to a 7-0 lead before Wheaton got on the board. Emma Luna (Wahiawa, Hawaii), Jada Keen (Kealakekua, Hawaii), and Meiling Bottan (Lexington, Mass.) each scored once in the first quarter, as the Camels led 3-0 after one. Carly Schneider (Barrington, Ill.) and Melia Lorch (Encintas, Calif.) pushed the lead to 5-0 before two goals from Sarah Nagel (Honolulu, Hawaii) made it 7-0. The Lyons got two goals before the half, as Conn led 7-2 at the break.
Conn continued to dominate in the second half, as the Camels used a 7-0 third quarter, to extend the lead to 14-2. During the quarter, Luna and Ainsley Cornwall (San Mateo, Calif.) scored twice, while Schneider, Maddie Baybeck (Ann Arbor, Mich.), and Anna Taylor (Pleasanton, Calif.) each added one goal. Conn added three more goals in the final frame, as Lorch, Luna, and Taylor each notched one more goal to give the Camels the 17-2 win.
GAME TWO: Austin 13, Conn 8
Conn returned to action against top-seed Austin and gave the Roos all they could handle. Cornwall opened the scoring for the Camels just 1:41 into the contest. Austin responded however, with two straight goals to end the opening quarter in front 2-1. The Roos continued their run into the second quarter, using a 5-0 run to extend the lead to 7-1. However, Luna beat the end of the quarter, to cut into the deficit, as Conn trailed 7-2 at the half.
Luna opened the second half with her second goal, but back-to-back tallies from Austin pushed the lead to 9-3. However, the Camels did not go away quietly, as Baybeck, Cornwall, and Luna each notched one goal to cut the deficit to 9-6 heading to the fourth. Austin opened the final frame with two straight goals making it 11-6 with five and a half minutes to play. The Camels and Roos each traded two goals down the stretch, with the Conn goals coming from Luna and Schneider, as Conn fell 13-8.
GAME THREE: Penn State Behrend 9, Conn 8 (OT)
Conn opened up game three, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead off goals from Cornwall and Luna. PSB answered with 45 seconds remaining, but a late goal from Luna had the Camels in front 3-1 after one. The Lions took the lead in the second quarter, as PSB scored all three goals in the frame to lead 4-3 at the half.
The defenses stepped up in the third quarter, as the teams combined for just one goal. PSB tallied the lone goal in the frame, as the Lions led 5-3 heading to the fourth. Conn answered in the final frame, using a 4-0 run to take a 7-5 lead. During the run, Luna recorded three goals, while Taylor added the fourth. However, PSB came back with the last two goals in regulation to send the game to overtime tied at seven.
In overtime, Luna put the Camels in front 8-7, but PSB ended the game with the final two goals to earn the 9-8 win.
GAME FOUR: Conn 12, Grove City 11
In the final game of the tournament, Conn trailed heading into the final quarter, but used a 7-1 run to earn the victory.
The opening quarter was back-and-forth as both teams scored twice in the first three minutes, with Luna tallying both Camels goals. Grove City took the lead at 3-2, before Cornwall evened the score, but a late goal from Grove City had the Wolverines in front 4-3 after one. The scoring slowed down in the second quarter, as the teams combined for just three goals. Luna tied the game at four with three minutes to play, but back-to-back goals for the Wolverines had Grove City leading 6-4 at the half.
Grove City scored two more goals to start the third quarter pushing the lead to 8-4. Schneider ended the run, but another two goals from the Wolverines had Conn trailing 10-5 heading to the fourth.
With Conn trailing in the final quarter, the Camels came to life. Lorch opened the final frame with an early goal, but her tally was canceled out by Grove City making the game 11-6 with 6:35 to play. Conn responded with four goals in the next four and a half minutes, off two goals from Cornwall and a goal each from Baybeck and Luna to make it 11-10 with two minutes to play. In the final minute, Luna found the back of the net to even the score at 11 with 43 seconds left. With the game looking like it was heading to overtime, Luna beat the final horn, scoring with five seconds left, as Conn earned the 12-11 win.
Baybeck and Grace Isola (San Mateo, Calif.) split time in goal across the four games, with Baybeck recording 37 saves and Isola stopping 20 shots. Luna paced the Camels across the weekend with 20 goals and four assists en route to being named to the All-Tournament First Team.
Conn ends the season with a 5-11 record, finishing in seventh place at the CWPA Championships.
