Pictured Above: Junior attack
Elise Begg (Photo Credit: Stockton Photography)
Poughkeepsie, NY – The Wagner women's water polo team looks to remain unbeaten in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play as the Seahawks gear up for three straight conference matches. On Saturday, March 25, the Green & White take on Siena College in Poughkeepsie, NY before heading to Loudonville, NY for a pair of MAAC bouts with Villanova at 9:00 a.m., followed by a contest vs. St. Francis Brooklyn at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Successful Opening Weekend:
The Green & White opened the first weekend of MAAC play 2-0, posting wins against co-preseason favorite Marist College, 10-6 and Iona College, 13-8, on March 18. Junior utility
Kimberly Watson (Pointe-Claire, Quebec / John Rennie) recorded her fourth and fifth consecutive hat tricks, netting three and five goals, respectively. Additionally, three other Seahawks registered hat tricks throughout the contests including
Erica Hardy (Montreal, Quebec / St. Thomas),
Franciska Milo-Sidlo (Budapest, Hungary / Pasareti Gimnazium), and
Jacqui Sjogren (Queensland, Australia / St. Andrews Anglican College). Defensively, senior goalie
Emily Riddle (Edmonton, Alberta / Dr. E.P. Scarlett) amassed a season-high 11 saves over the No. 24 Red Foxes while junior attack
Lacey Anderson (Thousand Oaks, CA / Westlake) logged ten steals on the day.
Previewing Wagner-Siena: The Saints, led by head coach Ellen Howe in her 11th season, are 0-2 in league play after losing 8-6 to Villanova and 14-8 to Virginia Military Institute opening weekend. Despite experiencing a slow start to the season, Siena will be looking for its first victory with help from reigning MAAC Rookie of the Week, Diana Fernandez. Selected to finish seventh in the 2017 MAAC Preseason Poll, ahead of newcomer La Salle, the Saints have not defeated Wagner since April 16, 2011 when they overcame the Seahawks 11-9 in New Rochelle.
Previewing Wagner-Villanova:
Villanova is led by first-year head coach Rob Mida, while longtime former head coach Damon Newman (2005-2015) serves as his assistant. The last meeting between the programs was on April 30, 2016, in the MAAC Championship semifinals, when Wagner defeated the fourth-seeded Wildcats 11-2 en route to its sixth title-game appearance. The Wildcats began the 2017 conference slate 3-0 with wins over first-year league member, La Salle and Siena. However, their win streak was snapped at home in a 15-8 loss to co-preseason favorite and No. 24 Marist.
Previewing Wagner-St. Francis Brooklyn:
The Seahawks are set to play the 1-11 Terriers at 5:30 pm on March 26 in the weekend finale. Selected to finish sixth in the MAAC Preseason Poll, St. Francis Brooklyn's lone triumph of the season came on February 12 to first-year program Saint Francis U. More recently, the Terriers dropped their MAAC opener 16-9 to the Iona Gaels behind three tallies from sophomore Erin Gonzalez.
Seahawks In The Poll:
The Green & White received its highest ranking of 2017 in the ninth week of the Collegiate Water Polo Association's (CWPA) Top 25 National Poll, coming in at No. 17. After opening conference play 2-0 against No. 24 Marist and Iona, the Seahawks remain No. 17 in week 10.
MAAC Weekly Award Winners:
