Women's Water Polo 1/27/18

No. 20 Women's Water Polo Opens 2018 Campaign With Hard-Fought Losses To Pair of Top-10 Teams

Pictured Above: Kimberly Watson (Credit: Ricky Bassman)

Ann Arbor, MI – The No. 20-ranked Wagner women's water polo team opened the 2018 season by taking halftime leads in both games on day one of the Michigan Invitational, before suffering two hard-fought defeats, a 10-7 loss to the No.8-ranked University of Michigan Wolverines, followed by a 13-11 decision to the No. 9-ranked University of the Pacific Tigers.

Michigan 10, Wagner 7:
Wagner stood shoulder to shoulder with Michigan, taking a 6-5 halftime lead before the Wolverines rallied in the second half in pulling out a 10-7 win.

The contest was a back-and-forth affair throughout the first half, as senior captains Kimberly Watson and Elise Begg each netted one goal a piece to put Wagner on the board in the first quarter. Michigan's Maddy Steere and Kim Johnson answered with two goals and one goal, respectively, for the Wolverines in the first stanza, giving the Wolverines a 3-2 lead.

The Green & White continued to pour in goals in the second quarter, as Begg cashed in her second, while Watson added two of her own to complete her first hat trick of her senior campaign. Junior Erica Hardy was also able to find back of the net once, giving Wagner that 6-5 halftime lead.

Michigan took the lead in the third period as Johnson led the surge, adding two goals in completing her hat trick. Hardy would be the only Seahawk to register a goal in the second half as Johnson finished with five goals to lead the way for the Wolverines.

Despite the loss, a number of Seahawks put forth strong performances. Freshman goalkeeper Katherine Campbell recorded seven saves and five steals in her first collegiate game. Watson ended the game with three goals, two assists, and three drawn exclusions, while Begg added two goals of her own to go with four steals. Hardy tallied two goals and three steals, while senior captain Lacey Anderson totaled four steals and one assist. Freshman Kristy Donkin rounded out the Seahawk scoring by dishing out two assists in her collegiate debut for the Green & White.

Pacific 13, Wagner 11:
Wagner came out strong in the second matchup of the 2018 campaign as Watson, who would go on to record two goals, won the first period sprint to allow Erica Hardy to get the Seahawks on the board just 23 seconds into the game.

Campbell came up with a pair of saves before the Tigers were able to put a tally on the board, evening the score at 1-1. Donkin then found Elise Begg and the senior did the rest, giving Wagner a 2-1 lead with 4:52 left in the first period.

The Tigers would rally back, tallying three more goals in the first period. However, The Seahawks would answer, with a pair of goals from Watson and freshman Daisy Nankervis, off of assists from freshman Malia Josephson and Watson, as the Seahawks forged a 4-4 tie after the first period.

Watson opened up the second period winning the sprint which led to Hardy's second goal, off an assist from Begg to put Wagner onn top, 5-4.. Pacific's Rachel Kreiger would answer on a power-play goal, tying the score once again at 5-5. Nankervis then registered her second collegiate goal, putting the Seahawks ahead by one, before Anderson would find the back of the net, stretching the Wagner lead to two at 7-5. Donkin extended the lead to three after Watson dished her the ball and found the back of the net to capitalize on a Seahawk power-play opportunity.

Pacific would answer with a pair of unanswered goals before the final horn of the second period to cut the Green & White lead to one, 8-7, at the intermission.

The Tigers opened the third quarter with a 3-0 run in lifting Pacific to a 10-8 lead. Hardy then rallied back, securing the first hat trick of her junior campaign.Two more Tigers would find the back of the net before the end of the third period as Pacific took a 12-9 lead heading to the fourth.

Watson kicked off the fourth and final period with two more goals, making it a 12-11 game, notching her second hat trick of the year in the process. Pacific's Rachel Kreiger would cash in the final goal, securing the win for the Tigers at 13-11. Campbell registered seven saves in the loss.

The Seahawks return to the pool tomorrow for a 10:15 am (EST) march against, No. 2 UCLA before concluding the tournament with a 2:00 p.m. finale against No. 13 Hartwick.

Follow us: #CHAOSonthehill
Wagner Athletics