Pictured Above: Sophomore attack Erica Hardy who registered a double hat trick against Toronto (photo credit: Jeremy Hawkes)

Boston, MA – Following a two-week break from competition, the Wagner women's water polo team went 1-1 on day one of the Harvard Invitational as the Seahawks defeated the University of Toronto 15-4 in an early morning matchup before falling to No. 11 Princeton University 9-5.
 
Wagner 15 Toronto 4 
The Seahawks downed the University of Toronto in a 7:30 a.m. contest behind a season high six goals from sophomore attack Erica Hardy (Montreal, Quebec / St. Thomas). The Canadian native's six tallies is a single-game high amongst all Seahawks this year after freshman center Millie Pullyblank (Victoria, Australia / Haileybury Girls College) registered five markers against Harvard on February 4.
 
Wagner came out of the gates strong, beginning the day with a 4-0 run ignited by junior utility Kimberly Watson (Pointe-Claire, Quebec / John Rennie) less than a minute into the first stanza. Less than a minute later, Hardy netted her first goal of the game before Watson dished an assist to junior attack Lacey Anderson (Thousand Oaks, CA / Westlake) to give the Seahawks an early 3-0 lead.
 
Hardy scored once more before the Blue Jays ended the Green & White's streak with one minute remaining in the quarter. However, Hardy rattled the cage for a hat-trick off an assist from freshman attack Jacqui Sjogren (Queensland, Australia / St. Andrews Anglican College).
 
Entering the second quarter with a 5-1 lead, Toronto netted the first goal of the period before Watson took advantage of a penalty shot, extending the Seahawks' lead 6-2. The Blue Jays would score once more before the stanza's end as Wagner notched two more tallies. Anderson tied her season-high two markers halfway through the quarter before Pullyblank cashed in for a late goal with only seven seconds remaining in the half.
 
Goalkeepers Emily Riddle (Edmonton, Alberta / Dr. E.P. Scarlett) and Anna Ward (Grayslake, IL / Mundelein) held the Blue Jays scoreless until the final two and a half minutes of the game as the Seahawks' offense uncorked a 7-0 run. Watson recorded her fifth hat trick of the season, drilling the first of the Green & White's seven consecutive goals off an assist from Anderson. Hardy then buried two more before Pullyblank once again drained a last minute goal to give Wagner a 12-3 lead entering the final eight minutes.
 
Junior attack Elise Begg (Newbury Park, CA / Newbury) registered back-to-back points, tallying her first marker before dishing out an assist to Hardy who documented a double hat trick with 3:26 remaining in the contest. Senior attack Amanda Sutherland (Denton, TX / Denton Ryan) fired the final point for the Seahawks for her second goal of the season. Despite a late goal by the Blue Jays, Wagner handled Toronto 15-4 to extend its winning streak to four games.
 
Wagner 5, Princeton 9
The Seahawks battled the No. 11 Princeton Tigers, led by Olympic goalkeeper Ashleigh Johnson, before falling by a 9-5 count in their second meeting of the season today. Junior utility Kimberly Watson and freshman attack Jacqui Sjogren each buried two goal apiece while Sjogren added a team-high four steals but it was not enough as the Seahawks saw their four-game winning streak come to an end.
 
Princeton got on the board early, drilling two consecutive goals less than two minutes into the contest. Junior attack Elise Begg and Sjogren took advantage of a power play opportunity, teaming up for Wagner's first marker. However, Princeton scored once more before the buzzer to take an early 3-1 lead.
 
The second stanza was a defensive battle as both teams were held scoreless for the first seven minutes. Watson broke the stalemate with an unassisted tally with 2:56 remaining in the quarter. Once again, the Tigers registered two late goals to maintain a 5-2 lead.
 
The second half proved to be a back-and-forth affair led by the Tigers. Sjogren put away her second point with 5:45 on the clock before each team knocked down penalty shots. Princeton added one more marker to outscore the Seahawks 3-2 and extend its lead to 8-4 entering the final stanza.
 
Each team sank two more goals early in the fourth quarter before an even deadlock for the remainder of the contest. The Green & White's final goal came from freshman center Millie Pullyblank as Wagner picked up its first loss since its 5-4 loss to Harvard on February 11.
 
The Seahawks return to Blodgett Pool tomorrow for two more contests against No. 13 Indiana (10:30 am) and No. 19 Harvard (2:15 pm). Both games will be streamed live on the Ivy League Digital Network and can be found HERE.