ORANGE, Calif. - The Mercyhurst College women's water polo team posted a perfect 4-0 record at the 2011 Chapman University Invitational this past weekend in Orange, Calif. The Lakers, playing all close games, defeated Cal State East Bay and host Chapman by the scores of 7-6 and 9-7 on Saturday. On Sunday, head coach Curtis Robinette and his squad took a pair of one-goal decision, beating San Bernardino 8-7 and Cal Lutheran 10-9.

In the first game against East Bay, the Lakers rolled out to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter before trading goals with their opponent in the second. MC then scored the only goal in the third to take a 5-4 lead. Both teams exchanged two goals aside in the fourth, ending with Mercyhurst on top, 7-6.

Senior Rachel Griepsma led the team in scoring with one goal and three assists for four points. Freshman Rebecca Wright recorded a hat trick, sophomore Lisett Calderon scored twice and senior Nicole Nelson found the back of the net once. Junior Hope Rozelle earned the win with 11 saves.

Later that evening, Mercyhurst used a strong first-half to dispatch of the hosts in the night cap. After building a 3-1 lead in the first, the Lakers doubled up Chapman, 2-1, in the second to end with a 5-2 lead. The third then saw MC fall behind, 2-1, but a 3-3 fourth kept the visitors in front.

This time Wright led the Lakers in scoring, notching another hat trick and totaling four points. Griepsma followed suit with three goals as well, Nelson put away two and Calderon and freshman Allie Grimes each had one. In goal, Rozelle picked up her second straight victory with eight stops and an assist.

On Sunday, Mercyhurst stretched its streak to three games with its first of two one-goal wins. After falling behind 1-0 in the opening frame, the Lakers outscored San Bernardino 4-2 before watching the home team tie the game in the third at 5-5. The fourth quarter saw both teams battle it out, with SB tying the game at seven with just over a minute to play. But after a SB penalty in the final 60 seconds, the Lakers broke the tie with a score from Grimes on the power play with 30 seconds showing on the clock.

Offensively, Griepsma led the Lakers again with three goals and an assist. Junior Laura Perez and and Wright each added two goals, and Grimes, Nelson and Calderon all had one. Rozelle picked up the win with nine stops.

Statistics from the Cal Lutheran game were not available at the time of release. Please check back at www.hurstathletics.com on Monday, Feb. 28 for full scoring details.