Women's Water Polo | 1/31/2015 1:32:00 AM

CLAREMONT, CA – Hartwick's Division I women's water polo team opened its 2015 season with a victory on Friday night with an 11-7 triumph over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on the first leg of its California trip.
           
Freshman Katie McKenty (Auckland, New Zealand) led the Hawks with five goals in her first collegiate match. Senior Kylie Traube (Johannesburg, South Africa) and junior Brittany Tait (Kariong, Australia) each added two goals for the Hawks.
           
After a 2-2 stalemate through the first four minutes, a Tait tally would put the Hawks in front for good at 3-2 in the first quarter with 3:04 left. A Rebecca Armstrong (Pasadena, CA) goal would extend the Hartwick lead to 4-2 at the end of the quarter.
             
In the second quarter that Hawks got the advantage to three goals on two occasions before settling on a 6-4 edge at the half.
           
McKenty made the score 8-5 midway through the third quarter before Traube made it a four-goal game at the end of the period.
           
With two straight goals in the fourth, CMS made it a three-goal game with four minutes left in the contest, but two straight McKenty tallies 32 seconds apart would seal the victory for the Hawks.
           
Michaela Davies (Cronulla, Australia) and Josette Santos (Huntington Beach, CA) played in goal for the Hawks. Davies made 11 saves. Santos stopped three in her first collegiate match.
           
Blanca Anton Cuesta (Madrid, Spain) also figured in the scoring column. She led Hartwick with three assists. Traube and Armstrong each had two.
           
'Wick plays twice tomorrow in the Cal-Baptist Mini Lancer Invite. The Hawks play CSU Bakersfield and the hosts Lancers.