BLOOMINGTON, Indiana - With the spring thaw still a few months out for north central West Virginia, the Salem Tigers women's water polo team has been anxious to get their season underway for weeks now. They finally got their chance this past weekend at the Indiana Classic in Bloomington, Indiana. The Tigers faced some tough competition, and finished 1-3 on the weekend. Each contest played out as follows:
Indiana 20, Salem 6
To open the weekend, Salem faced off with the host Hoosiers. The Tigers had a tough time offensively to start, but bounced back with goals from Courtney Repinz and Emma Donnelly shortly before the half. In the third, Salem developed a good rhythm offensively with Kristen Hemmila, Kara Wicht, and Emily Rosa finding the back of the net. Keri Brooks added the final Salem goal in the fourth, but the Hoosiers were not going to be outpaced in their home pool. Therefore, Salem fell 20-6.
California State-Northridge 20, Salem 13
Later on Saturday evening, Salem took on California State-Northridge. The trio of Hemmila, Wicht and Rosa each added a goal in the first, but a big 2nd quarter from their foes put Salem at a 14-4 deficit going into the half despite a second goal from Hemmila just before the break. After the intermission, Salem added 4 goals in the third, and 5 in the fourth, but it was simply too little too late. California State-Northridge took away the 20-13 win. Statistically, the Tigers were led by three goals each from Kristen Hemmila, Kara Wicht, and Emily Rosa.
California-Santa Barbara 15, Salem 4
On the second day of competition, the Tigers faced off with California-Santa Barbara in game 3 of the weekend. It was a tough match for Salem offensively with just four goals overall. Lucy Bramwell led the way for Salem with 2 of those 4, with Courtney Repinz and Mackenzie Hamilton adding the other two Tiger goals. Therefore, the slow offensive day led the Salem dropping this contest 15-4.
Salem 17, California-Merced 6
In the final contest of the weekend, the Tigers unveiled their best offensive performance of the weekend. They took a 3-1 in the first, and added 4 goals to that in the second to make it 7-2 going into halftime. After the break, Salem added 5 more goal in both the third and fourth quarters and cruised their way to a dominant 17-6 win over the California-Merced Bobcats. Statistically, Lucy Bramwell and Courtney Repinz led the way with 4 goals each, and Kara Wicht finished just behind them with 3 goals of her own.
In conclusion, Salem ended the weekend on a high note and will be energized going into their next round of competition. That opportunity will come up in Providence, Rhode Island and Cambridge, Massachusetts when Salem competes in the Bruno Classic on February 1st and 2nd.
