CLAREMONT, Calif. - Caitlin Muñoz had three goals and three assists to lead the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's water polo team defeated Cal Lutheran in the SCIAC Tournament Semifinals on Thursday evening at Axelrood Pool. 

The win improves to CMS to 15-11 on the year, while earning the Athenas a spot in both the SCIAC Championship game on Saturday against Pomona-Pitzer, and the USA Water Polo Division III Championship next weekend (at the site of the SCIAC Tournament Champion). Cal Lutheran finishes its season at 14-12 with the loss. 

Cal Lutheran was able to take 3-2 and 4-3 leads in the second quarter, before CMS was able to break it open with a 5-0 run. Tatum Dwyer knotted the score at 4-4, and Muñoz put the Athenas ahead to stay 5-4 with 4:17 left in the second. 

Jasmine Tang scored with 34 seconds left in the half, her second of the contest, and Del Villar beat the buzzer with two seconds left to give CMS a 7-4 lead heading into the break. Del Villar opened the second half with a goal, and then answered a Cal Lutheran tally with her third to make it 9-5. 

Muñoz tallied her third with 4:41 left in the third to extend the lead to 10-6, and Grace Clark scored the final two goals of the third to make the score 12-6 heading into the fourth. Cal Lutheran scored the only goal of the final frame with 1:01 left to make the final score 12-7. 

CMS and Pomona-Pitzer will meet for the fourth time this season for the SCIAC title on Saturday at Pomona-Pitzer's Haldeman Pool. The Athenas took the first meeting at the UC San Diego Triton Invitational 10-5, while the Sagehens won the most recent meeting 10-5 to secure the top seed in the SCIAC Tournament. The meeting at Haldeman earlier this year resulted in a 12-11 Pomona-Pitzer win.