Providence, RI – The No. 18-ranked Wagner women's water polo team split their first day competing in the 2020 Bruno Classic with a 19-6 victory over the Saint Francis Red Flash, followed by a 11-10 defeat to the No. 17 Harvard Crimson.
 
No. 18 Wagner 19, St. Francis U 6: Game Sheet
The Seahawks offense came out firing on all cylinders, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead, compliments of a Jacqui Sjogren goal and a pair of scores from the reigning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Rookie of the Week, Abbey Simshauser. The Red Flash answered back and got themselves on the board, but the energized Wagner offense tallied three more unanswered goals in retaliation. Sofia Diaz Alvarez and Pip Nash each contributed their first goals of the game, while Sjogren notched her second. A last second goal from SFU set the score at 6-2 with the Seahawks leading to end the first stanza.
 
The Green & White picked right up where they left off, as Diaz Alvarez found the back of the cage for a second time, extending the lead to 7-2 only 22 seconds into the second period. The Red Flash answered with their third goal of the game, but Skye Nankervis' first goal of the game, followed by Simshauser completing her third Seahawk hat trick of the season, sent the teams into the halftime break with Wagner leading 9-3.
 
The second half followed the same trend, as the Seahawks outscored the Red Flash 10-3, leading to an eventual final score of 19-6. Malia Josephson led the second half charge, recording a hat trick in the final 16 minutes. She was accompanied by two goals apiece from Diaz Alvarez and Nankervis, while Nash, Simshauser, and Sjogren each recorded a single goal in the final two quarters. 

No. 17 Harvard 11, No. 18 Wagner 10: Game Sheet
The Green & White jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as Malia Josephson and Sofia Diaz Alvarez each found the back of the cage after holding off the Harvard man advantage. The Crimson would respond with two goals of their own to tie the game at two goals apiece, before Abbey Simshauser converted on a powerplay to put Wagner back in front. After a third Harvard goal, Valeria Rojas notched her second career goal as a Seahawk to put the Green & White up 4-3 heading into the second quarter.
 
The second stanza was all Harvard, as they outscored Wagner 3-0 to head into the second half leading 6-4. They continued their scoring streak in the third quarter with two quick goals to set the lead at 8-4, before Simshauser stopped the run with a powerplay goal and reduce the lead to three. The Crimson would add another score, but Josephson and Simshauser each found the back of the cage to cut the lead to two heading into the final eight minutes. 
 
Josephson notched two more goals to start the final stanza to tie the game up at 9-9 with 5:25 remaining in the game. However, Harvard would score the next two goals to put the game out of reach for the Seahawks. A last-minute goal from Simshauser would cut the lead to one, but it was too late as the Crimson walked away with an 11-10 victory. 
 
NEXT UP FOR THE SEAHAWKS:
The Seahawks will be back in the pool tomorrow as they conclude their Bruno Classic campaign against the hosting Brown Bears at 12:40 pm. Streaming will be available on ESPN+ (Live Video).