RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Looking to stay undefeated during its California trip with a fourth straight win, the VMI water polo team fell by a 14-9 score to host No. 25 Cal Baptist Wednesday afternoon at the Riverside Aquatics Center in Riverside, California.
With the loss, the Keydets fall to 10-3 overall for the season after winning six consecutive matches over the past week. The Lancers improve to 14-8 for the year after claiming its seventh consecutive win.
The Keydets struggled to keep pace in the first half as Cal Baptist opened up with a 9-3 advantage by halftime. VMI responded well after the break by outscoring the Lancers by a 4-3 tally during the third period and closing the gap to 12-7 at the start of the fourth. The deficit proved to be too large to overcome as Cal Baptist went on to earn the 14-9 victory.
Junior Shelby Barkley led the Keydets with three goals while Sophia DelBondio and Sarah Dolitsky both contributed two. Cecilya Lundy and Natalie Rivas also scored for VMI.
Cal Baptist was led by Valerie Spezzaferri, who scored five goals on six shots to go with two steals. Teammate Paizlee Dreyer put in three goals and distributed three assists to aid the Lancer attack.
CBU goalie Lina Medeiros earned the victory with six saves and five steals while VMI keeper Isabel French registered 10 saves in the loss.
VMI concludes its California trip with a 5 p.m. PDT matchup with Occidental Thursday evening in Los Angeles.
