Wheaton Downs PSU-Behrend & Utica, Falls to Carthage

WHEATON, Ill. -- The No. 10-nationally ranked Wheaton College water polo team used a pair of powerful offensive showings to go 2-1 in the first day of hosting the second of the regular season CWPA Division III Tournaments.  The Thunder stopped Pennsylvania State University-The Behrend College, 15-4, and Utica College, 15-1, while falling to No. 8 Carthage College, 9-2.

In the first match of the day, Wheaton took on Penn State Behrend and came away with a 15-4 victory. After leading 9-4 at halftime, the Thunder clamped down on defense and didn't allow a goal in the second half of the match. Heather Crockett and Emma Higgins scored four goals each, Kathryn Sheehy tallied three goals, Linley Sullivan added two goals and the balanced scoring attack also got one goal each from Rebecca Queen and Emily Bellfi.

The second match featured Wheaton against rival Carthage as the Lady Reds came out on top 9-2. Higgins netted the first goal of the game for the Thunder, but Carthage answered back by scoring the next nine goals over three periods and kept Wheaton's offense at bay. Higgins ended up with both goals.

The Thunder ended the day by replicating the first match's offensive firepower, defeating Utica by a 15-1 final. Wheaton took a 9-0 lead after the first period and never looked back. In total, the Thunder had 11 different players score in the match. Jessica McGee, Higgins, Kathryn Sheehy and Christi Sheehy scored two goals each. They also got individual goals from Crockett, Sullivan, Queen, Bellfi, Liz Akins, Caroline Hannema and Amy Nussbaum.