Poughkeepsie, NY - The third-seeded Wagner College water polo team advanced to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship game by defeating second-seeded and defending champion Marist College in a stunning 11-10 sudden death overtime victory in the second semifinal of the 2011 MAAC Women's Water Polo Championship. 

Junior Lauren French (Colmar, PA / North Penn) fired home the game-winning goal with 21 seconds remaining in the sudden victory perioid which broke the ninth tie of the game, lifting the Seahawks to victory.

Starting the game down 2-0 in the beginning of the first quarter, junior Lauren French (Colmar, PA / North Penn) hit back-to-back goals to set the score 2-2 after the opening eight minutes. Each team managed one goal in the second quarter as the score remained tied at 3-3 at the half.

Out of the huddle, French found the back of the net 45 seconds into the third to put the Seahawks up 4-3. However, the lead didn't last long as Marist sent one between the pipes only a minute later. The teams continued to volley for the lead until the final seconds of the quarter when junior Molly Robinson (Lansdale, PA / North Penn) fed a quick pass to senior Natalie Pyrz (Harleysville, PA / Souderton Area) who sent home a last-second goal to put Wagner up 7-6 heading into the final quarter.

Following an early man-up opportunity for Marist, the Red Foxes tied the score at 7-7 20 seconds into the fourth quarter. The battle for the lead continued until Chelsea Beck (Reading, PA / Wilson) put the Seahawks up by one with three minutes left in the game. Wagner managed to hold onto the lead until the final 15 seconds of regulation when Marist's Desiree Desaulniers scored the game-tying goal to force overtime.

Leading 10-9 after the first overtime period following a goal from Laura Vanderbent (Shillington, PA / Governor Mifflin), the Seahawk defense could not stop a second overtime period goal off of Rosie Pauli to set which made it a 10-10 game with 1:38 remaining. With neither team able to find the net in the remaining 90 seconds, the game was forced into sudden-victory overtime.

With three minutes on the clock, the final period remained scoreless until the last minute of play. With Marist on the possession, the Red Foxes sent a shot sailing to the corner of the net only to have the ball rebound off the post. As Wagner gained possession of the rebound, French drew an exclusion with 24 seconds remaining to put the Seahawks on a 6 vs. 5 power play. At the start of the whistle, French sent the ball to freshman Stacy McGregor (Sinking Spring, PA / Wilson) who immediately fed it back to French who knocked in the game winning goal to send the Seahawks to the championship game.

French finished the day with four goals while  classmate Beck knocked in three. Senior Pyrz added two goals while senior co-capatins Carina Giles (Mohton, PA / Governor Mifflin) and Vanderbent tallied one goal apiece.

Defensively, Vanderbent posted a team-high seven steals as Giles added four. Beck, the 2011 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, tallied three.

The Seahawks will face the number one-seed, the Gaels of Iona College, tomorrow at 2:00 pm with the winner advancing to the 2011 NCAA Water Polo Championship in Ann Arbor, MI. Live video from the game can be viewed by clicking here.

Wagner-Marist Line Score

Wagner: 2-1-4-2-1-0-1 - 11
Marist:    2-1-3-3-0-1-0  -10 



Wagner Goals: French 4, Beck 3, Pyrz 2, Giles 1, Vanderbent 1

Marist Goals: Desaulniers 5, Pauli 2, Konopka 2, Puccino 1

Wagner Saves: Karbach 5

Marist Saves: Solaro 13