Tigers Take Game One of SCIAC Tournament

CLAREMONT, Calif. (April 24, 2009) – Entering the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship tournament the Occidental College Tigers were seeded third. On the opening day of the three-day event, the Tigers were pitted against the Whittier College Poets, whom Oxy came from behind to defeat 7-3, moving up in the winner’s bracket for day two.

Trailing 2-0 in the opening quarter of action, sophomore Karie Nickle got the Tigers on the board with 2:05 to play in the opening stanza. Occidental re-focused and outscored the Poets 2-0 in the second quarter, with Julie Monday scoring the first of her team-leading three-goals, to take a 3-2 advantage at the intermission.

After a five-minute break in the action, the Tigers tacked on two more unanswered goals. In the final period of play Oxy added another pair of goals, with Perla Almaraz netting the final goal, her second of the game. Oxy allowerd WC just a single goal en route to the 7-3 final.

Freshman Corrine Casey was responsible for the final Tigers’ goal of the game, scoring in the third quarter. Kelly Curtain drew a team-high four ejections.

In front of the cage senior Laura Simanonok made 10 saves. Also significantly contributing to the Oxy defense were Nickle who had six steals and Tessa Bailey-Findley who recorded four. Nickle, Curtain and Rebecca Hofer also each had a field block in the game.

Tomorrow Occidental will meet the No. 2 seeded Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens tomorrow, Saturday, April 25, at 1:30 p.m. at Claremont.