No. 17 Women's Water Polo Defeats VMI 10-8 For Perfect 9-0 MAAC Record

Pictured Above: Junior utility Kimberly Watson who notched five goals on the day (photo credit: Stockton Photo)

Lexington, VA – The No. 17 Wagner women's water polo team defeated host institution, Virginia Military Institute (VMI), 10-8 in the weekend finale to preserve its perfect 9-0 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) record.

With the win, the Seahawks improve to 18-10 on the season and 9-0 in the MAAC, while VMI falls to 17-5 overall and 6-2 in league play.

The Green & White outscored the Keydets 4-1 in the opening quarter for their biggest lead of the game. VMI's Cecilya Lundy reached the back of the net on a power play opportunity after freshman center Millie Pullyblank (Victoria, Australia / Haileybury Girls College) was called for an exclusion. However, the Seahawks countered with a 4-0 run ignited by junior utility Kimberly Watson (Pointe-Claire, Quebec / John Rennie).

The Keydets closed in on the Seahawks' early lead, scoring four goals to Wagner's three in the second stanza. Watson registered her second hat trick on the weekend, netting two more tallies, while sophomore attack Erica Hardy (Montreal, Quebec / St. Thomas) capitalized on a penalty shot for her second tally of the contest.

The Seahawks began the second half with a 7-5 lead as the two programs played an even final two quarters. The third quarter was a defensive battle as each team only notched one goal apiece. Junior attack Lacey Anderson (Thousand Oaks, CA / Westlake) who notched a game-high six steals, fired the Green & White's lone goal on a man-up opportunity to enter the final eight minutes with an 8-6 advantage.

The final stanza was a back-and-forth affair with each team logging two markers. Watson buried both strikes for the Seahawks to secure the program's third victory of the weekend. The program's 23rd consecutive MAAC regular season triumph snapped the Keydets four-game winning streak as they fall to 6-2 in league play.

Wagner returns to action April 8 and 9 for conference games with La Salle University, Siena College, and VMI. The defending MAAC champions will host Siena and VMI at 10:30 and 2:30, respectively on Sunday, April 9 in the Spiro Sports Center Pool.

Join us for the morning matchup with Siena to celebrate the three graduating seniors on Senior Day; Gabryel Oloapu, Emily Riddle, and Amanda Sutherland.

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