Women's Water Polo | 2/11/2017 6:45:00 PM

LA JOLLA, CA – Nationally sixteenth ranked Hartwick lost for the first time this season but rebounded for a victory in its second game at the UC San Diego Triton Invitational at Canyonview Aquatic Center in La Jolla, CA Saturday. 'Wick dropped an 11-7 decision to No. 17 San Diego State in its opener. The Hawks then downed Santa Clara in convincing fashion, 13-4, to improve to 5-1 overall.
          
The Aztecs would out-score the Hawks in each of the final three quarters. They would take the lead for good with 4:21 remaining in the second quarter.
          
'Wick trimmed the gap to one once in the second quarter and once in the third. A Tori Wilson (Kitchener, ONT / Grand River Collegiate Institute) goal made it a 4-3 game in the second half only to have San Diego State register five of the next six goals for a 9-4 lead with under four minutes to play. Four would be as close as the Hawks would get the rest of the way.
          
Zsofia Polak (Dunaujvaros, Hungary / Rudas HS) scored three goals to lead Hartwick in the contest. Lena Kotanchyan (Moscow, Russia / Elk Island School #368), Nikolina Mihajlovik (Mississauga, ONT / Silverthorn Collegiate Inst.), and L.J. Edwards (Encinitas, CA / Cathedral Catholic HS) also recorded tallies.
          
Maryanna Antoniou (Glyfada, Greece / Second General HS of Glyfada) would lead the Hawks with three assists. Josette Santos (Huntington Beach, CA / Edison HS) made four saves in goal. She also picked up six steals.
          
Against Santa Clara, the Hawks dominated the second half, out-scoring the Broncos by a count of 8-1 to pull away for the victory. Hartwick would lead by two goals at the end of the first and second quarters.  
          
Polak would score two of the Hawks' five goals in the third quarter as they took a 10-4 advantage into the final quarter. Polak, Kotanchyan, and Wilson added fourth-quarter tallies to finish off the victory.
          
Polak and Kotanchyan each finished the game with four goals. Mihajlovik contributed a pair of goals and Charlotte Cottle (Blakehurst, Australia / Presbyterian Ladies College) and Natalie May (Huntington Beach, CA / Edison HS) also scored.
           
Hartwick plays tomorrow against either Marist or Cal State Northridge at 10:40 a.m. They will wrap up the tournament with a fourth game with an opponent and start time to be determined tomorrow.