Wagner/Marist Box

Wagner/Siena Box

Staten Island, NY - The Wagner Water Polo team came into the day tied with Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) foe Marist for first place at 7-1, and ended the day alone at the top, picking up a win over the Red Foxes, and another against Siena on Senior Day at the Spiro Sports Center. The Seahawks now sit at 21-11 (9-1 MAAC) heading into two final conference games tomorrow against VMI and Villanova.

Wagner vs Marist

The most thrilling game of the six that were played in Spiro was the first one at 9:00 am, a clash between the two top teams in the MAAC. In a back-and-forth affair, Wagner came out on top, beating Marist 9-8.

The Seahawks came out on fire, scoring the first two goals of the game. Junior co-captain Rachel Burns (Auckland, New Zealand / Diocesan) scored the first goal of the game almost two minutes in, and sophomore Megan Rodriguez (Danville, CA / San Ramon Valley) added one of her team-high three goals in the first quarter, giving Wagner a 2-0 lead halfway through the frame.

Marist battled back, scoring two goals in under a minute to make the game even at 2-2 at the 3:43 mark in the first. On the next possession, sophomore Jess Lundgren (Queensland, Australia / Mountain Creek) scored her lone goal of the game, while classmate Lily Doerfler (Annapolis, MD / Broadneck) added another two minutes later pushing the lead back up to two. The Red Foxes scored at the end of the first after Lundgren was excluded to end the quarter down 4-3.

Wagner started to cruise away in the second quarter, showing their talent at both ends of the pool, and forcing many Marist turnovers. Rodriguez scored twice in the second and Burdge added another Wagner goal, giving the Seahawks a 7-4 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, Marist was able to get within another goal of Wagner, out-scoring the Seahawks 2-1 in the frame. Senior co-captain Stacy McGregor () found the net with 37 seconds left in the third, but Marist's Amanda Amorosa put one past Emily Riddle (Edmonton, Alberta / Dr. E.P. Scarlett), making the score 8-6 heading in to the fourth quarter.

The Red Foxes battled back in the fourth, scoring a goal 47 seconds into the quarter and adding another at the 5:44 mark to tie things up at 8-8. Both teams defenses held steady over the next five minutes, until Doerfler got the ball in the center and slid it past the Marist goalie with 38 seconds left for the game-winning goal.

Rodriguez led the team with three goals, while Doerfler had two, and Lundgren, Burns, Jessica Burdge (Stockton, CA / St. Mary's), and McGregor were the other goal-scorers on the game. Riddle finished the win with eight saves.

Wagner vs Siena

The Seahawks flexed their muscle in the 2:30 pm contest against Siena, hitting the 20 goal mark for the fourth time this season in the 20-8 win. 

Wagner put the second game away early, out-scoring the Saints 6-1 in the first quarter, and taking a 10-2 lead into the half. During the first half, Lundgren scored five of her game-high six goals, while Burdge added all four of her goals for Wagner.

In the second half, eight different members of the Green & White were able to score goals during the Senior Day game. Seniors Ashton Cline (), Sidney Hoshko (Coronado, CA / Coronado), and McGregor all found the net during the game, while Maura McGinley (King of Prussia, PA / Upper Merion) was able to draw two exclusions, grab two steals, and record a field block.

On the day, a few school records also fell, as Lundgren topped her record in steals from last season, currently with 129, Rodriguez broke her single-season assists record, currently with 88, and Burdge added on to her school record in sprints won, with 42. This is the first time in Wagner history that the Seahawks have recorded three consecutive 20-win seasons.

With the pair of wins, the 21-11 (9-1 MAAC) Seahawks hold a one game advantage over Marist (8-2) for first place in the conference. Both teams will have two games tomorrow, with much at stake, with the winner holding the one-seed in the MAAC Tournament. For Wagner to win a regular-season MAAC Championship, the Seahawks will have to beat VMI and Villanova. This season, Wagner holds a combined 3-0 record against these two teams, outscoring the pair 50-21 in those games.

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