Carthage Tops 'Roos in CWPA Opening Round

NORTON, Ma. - The Austin College women's water polo team dropped its opening round matchup against Carthage College on Friday at the CWPA Division III Championships hosted by Wheaton College, as the Firebirds used a big fourth quarter to topple the 'Roos.

Austin College jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the opening quarter, falling behind 1-0 early but ripping three straight goals to end the period and take the early advantage. Bianca Gallegos, who finished with a game-high five goals, got the 'Roos on the board first, and ended up scoring all three first quarter tallies for Austin College.

Both teams put three goals in the cage during the second frame, giving Austin College the 6-4 edge heading into the second half. Carthage started to chip away in the third quarter, outpacing the 'Roos 4-3 to trim it to a 9-8 game, and the Firebirds clamped down defensively in the final quarter, limiting Austin College to just one goal in the game's final eight minutes to complete the comeback and advance in the tournament.

In addition to five goals for Gallegos, the 'Roos also got two tallies from Clara Koenig and one each from Joslyn Dimitri, Caroline Armstrong, and McKenna Malone. Carthage took advantage of the power play and penalty shot opportunities in the game, going 4-of-12 on power plays compared to 2-of-8 for the 'Roos, while outscoring Austin College 3-1 on penalty shots.