LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The VMI Water Polo Team took its annual trip out west, facing Occidental and Whittier on Monday afternoon, picking up 14-10 and 16-13 victories of its respective opponents.
The two wins add to VMI's strong start to the season, as the Keydets move to 9-5 overall, continuing the program's best start during the tenure of fifth-year head coach
Danielle Montenegro.
Game 1 – VMI 14, Occidental 10
- Sydney,
Sadie Smith each net three goals,
Maddie Day has nine saves
- Novotny opened up the scoring with a power play goal one minute in and after Occidental equalized, the Keydets netted three unanswered to take a 4-1 advantage into the 2
nd quarter
- VMI extended its lead to five in the second (8-3), but Occidental would close the gap in the third and trail 10-8 going into the final frame
- The Tigers opened the fourth with a score but Novotny answered on the powerplay before the Smith's (Sydney, Sadie, Makynna) each scored to make the score 14-9 and secure the Keydet win
Game 2 – VMI 16, Whittier 13
-
Sadie Smith leads the Keydets with five goals, Novotny nets three
- Poets bookend the first quarter with goals as they led 3-2 after eight minutes of play
- VMI would outscore Whittier 4-3 in the second as the teams went to half knotted up at six apiece
- After Whittier opened the third with a goal,
Haley Minnich and
Sarah Fitzsimmons found the back of the net to give VMI a brief lead, before Whittier scored to make it 9-9 after three
- Novotny opened the fourth with a five-meter goal, seizing the momentum for a Keydet squad that would control the fourth to the tune of 7-4
What's Next
The Keydets will return home for the annual VMI-MAAC Showcase, opening the weekend up Friday against Mount St. Mary's.
