ST. PAUL, Minn. --
Ryley McClellan (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) scored with four seconds left to lift the Washington & Jefferson College women's water polo team to an 11-10 victory over Carthage University Saturday evening in a consolation round game at the CWPA Division III Championships.
The win capped a 2-0 day for W&J as the Red and Black topped Utica University earlier in the day.
Competing at Macalester College's Riley Pool in the Leonard Center, the Presidents (11-9, 7-1 CWPA Division III-West Region) overcame a 10-7 deficit at the conclusion of the third quarter to outscore the Firebirds (5-16, 1-7 CWPA Division III-West Region) by a 4-0 margin in the fourth quarter.
W&J jumped on the scoreboard first as Sydney Neumann (So., Long Beach, Calif./Millikan) stroked in a shot with 6:30 left in the first quarter. The Firebirds recorded the next four goals to take a three-goal advantage after one quarter of play.
Trailing 4-1 after eight minutes, the Presidents erased its deficit in the second quarter as Neumann (7:01, 3:16, 2:29) and Megan DePrez (Sr., Claremont, Calif./Claremont) (6:20) combined to account for four-straight goals to push Washington & Jefferson ahead 5-4. However, Carthage scored with 1:48 left until halftime to square the squads at five-all through 16 minutes of action.
Carthage used a 5-2 spurt in the third to carry a three-goal advantage into the fourth quarter. Despite the deficit, W&J went to work in the fourth quarter as they forged the comeback.
Playing in her penultimate game as a President, McClellan helped will her team to victory in the fourth. McClellan started the rally 44 seconds into the fourth quarter with a score at the 7:16. DePrez followed with a score at the 5:42 mark before Neumann knotted the score at 10-10 with 2:12 to play.
Both teams struggled to solve their opponent's defense down the stretch but W&J had one final chance in the waning moments. The moment belong to McClellan, who found the back of the net with four seconds to play.
Neumann garnered Player of the Game honors for posting a game-high five goals. DePrez and McClellan also registered three goals for hat-trick efforts. Alliey Cunningham (So., Evanston, Ill./Evanston Township) made nine saves to collect the victory.
W&J advances into the tournament's Fifth Place game at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, April 23, against Wittenberg University. It will mark the third meeting of the year between the two programs as W&J dropped a 12-8 game on March 4 at Wittenberg and picked up an 11-10 win on March 11 at home in Henry Memorial Natatorium.
