No. 17 Women's Water Polo Earns 9-8 MAAC Win Over Iona For Sixth Straight

Pictured Above: Junior Kimberly Watson who netted a team-high four goals in the victory (photo credit: Sandy Spicer)

Staten Island, NY – The No. 17 Wagner women's water polo team won its sixth straight game while earning a two-game sweep over Iona College on the season after narrowly defeating the Gaels 9-8 in a Wednesday night matchup.

With the win, the Green & White improve to 15-10 on the season and 6-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) while Iona falls to 5-9 overall 2-3 in league play.

The Seahawks took an early 2-0 lead in the first quarter behind a pair of markers from junior utility Kimberly Watson (Pointe- Claire, Quebec / John Rennie). Wagner's leading scorer on the season, Watson tallied her second marker on a five-meter penalty shot after Iona's goalkeeper Britten Vilander was called for a foul. Reigning MAAC Defensive Player of the Week, Vilander then missed a last second shot attempt for the Gaels as the Seahawks controlled a 2-0 lead.

A force in the cage for the Green & White, Emily Riddle's (Edmonton, Alberta / Dr. E.P. Scarlett) steal midway through the second quarter led to a strike by freshman attack Jacqui Sjogren (Queensland, Australia / St. Andrews Anglican College). However, Iona rallied for a 3-0 run, ignited by 2M-guard Kayla Allen. Unable to capitalize on a man-up opportunity with less than a minute on the clock, Wagner entered intermission tied 3-3 with the Gaels.

Junior attack Elise Begg (Newbury, CA / Newbury) regained the lead for the Seahawks, taking advantage of a power play opportunity midway through the third stanza. Although Iona's Kayla Allen evened the tilt with less than two minutes remaining, MAAC Rookie of the Week, Millie Pullyblank (Queensland, Australia / Haileybury Girls College) rattled the cage off an assist from sophomore attack Erica Hardy (Montreal, Quebec / St. Thomas) to give the Green & White a 5-4 lead entering the final eight minutes.

The final quarter was a back-and-forth showdown until Watson and Hardy buried back-to-back goals in the closing two minutes to take a 9-7 lead. Despite a late strike at the buzzer, the Iona Gaels were unable to overcome the No. 17 Seahawks.

Wagner has now won 20 consecutive MAAC regular season contests. The squad travels to Lexington, Virginia April 1-2 for matchups with Marist, La Salle, and VMI.

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