Bison Invitational

Lewisburg, PA – The Wagner women's water polo team, ranked #20 in the nation,will travel to Lewisburg, PA this weekend to compete in the Bison Invitational. They will begin on Saturday, February 8 at 9:00 am against St. Francis Brooklyn, followed by a 6:00 pm grudge match with No. 15 Harvard. The Seahawks will conclude their weekend with a Sunday doubleheader beginning with the hosting No. 23 Bucknell Bison at 10:30 am before a matchup against Mercyhurst at 3:30 pm.
 
SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE:
Saturday, February 8
9:00 AM – No. 20 Wagner vs. St. Francis Brooklyn
5:45 PM – No. 20 Wagner vs. No. 15 Harvard
 
Sunday, February 9
10:30 AM – No. 20 Wagner vs. No. 23 Bucknell ($ Live Video $)
3:30 PM – No. 20 Wagner vs. Mercyhurst

LAST TIME OUT
The Seahawks traveled to Providence, RI and competed in the Bruno Classic. They would split their first day with a 19-6 victory over the Saint Francis Red Flash, followed by a 11-10 defeat to the No. 17 Harvard Crimson. On the final day, they would hand an undefeated Brown their first defeat of the season, by a count of 17-11 to wrap up the Bruno Classic with a 2-1 record on the weekend, to improve their record on the season to 3-4. 

CONFERENCE RECOGNITION CONTINUES
Junior Malia Josephson and freshman Abbey Simshauser each garnered Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) recognition after strong offensive displays this past weekend in Providence, RI. 
 
Josephson earned MAAC Offensive Player of the Week after leading the Seahawks with 18 points and 7 assists, while also finding the back of the cage 11 times in only three games. While recording a hat trick in each match, the New Zealand native recorded the game winning goal against the then undefeated Brown Bears, to lead the Green & White to a 17-11 victory.
 
Simshauser has continued to be an early standout for the Seahawks, earning MAAC Rookie of the Week honors for the second straight week. She tied for the team lead with 11 goals on the weekend, including a hat trick in all three contests, while her six assists placed her in a tie for second on the team with 17 points. The Sydney, Australia native has a nose for the ball on defense as well as she grabbed four steals and blocked three shots, all while drawing a total of nine exclusions.
 
DIAZ ALVAREZ IN THE NEWS
Sophomore Sofia Diaz Alvarez recently completed an interview with Michael Randazzo of Swimming World Magazine. She spoke on competing on the international level, the transition from playing overseas to playing in the United States, and how she feels about the Seahawks this season. The full article is available here.

ABOUT ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN:
The Terriers are coming into the weekend with a 1-2 record for the season. While competing in the La Salle Invite last weekend, they were able to rebound after a season opener defeat to Salem, 11-5, by toppling the hosting Explorers 9-8. They ended their weekend by falling to George Washington, 12-6. 
 
In only three games, SFC has been led by junior Bianca Gonzalez on the offensive side of the pool. She has recorded a team leading 21 shots and five goals, while placing herself in a tie for the team lead with six points. In goal, the Terriers have utilized all three of their goalies, but freshman Inbar Geva has seen the most action, stopping 17 of the 36 shots she has faced so far, earning her MAAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
 
ABOUT NO. 15 HARVARD:
The Crimson enter the Bison Invitational with a 4-0 undefeated record, having handedly defeated three of their opponents on the young season. The lone close game came against the Seahawks, in which they came out victorious by a lone goal, 11-10, after Wagner failed to tie the game with the final possession.

Harvard has been led by sophomore Borden Wahl and junior Quinne Pursell. Wahl currently leads the team with nine goals, while Pursell is pacing the Crimson with nine assists.
 
In goal, Harvard relies on sophomore Zoe Banks, who has tallied 27 saves on the season, including a career high 13 in the first matchup with the Green & White.
 
ABOUT NO. 23 BUCKNELL:
The Bison are coming into this weekend with a 4-0 undefeated record, having swept their four games last weekend while competing in the Bruno Classic, with their biggest victory coming over the No. 24 Marist Red Foxes, 16-12.

Bucknell are led by the Furano sisters, Ally and Paige. Paige is pacing the Bison with 21 goals and 22 points, while Ally leads the team with eight assists and is second on the team with 13 points. 
 
In goal, the Bison have relied on sophomore Georgia Lewis, who has recorded 28 saves in 128 minutes of action, while allowing 32 goals. For her career, Lewis has already amassed over 250 saves, with a save percentage just under 50%.
 
ABOUT MERCYHURST:
The Lakers will begin their season this weekend in Lewisburg. They are coming off a 2019 campaign in which they finished 8-18, including an 0-3 mark in Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) conference play, as well as a 21-4 defeat at the hands of the Seahawks.
 
Mercyhurst will return 13 swimmers from last season, including four of their top five scorers who combined for a total of 192 points. Additionally, head coach Curtis Robinette, who is entering his 16^th season at the helm, has added four freshman athletes to his squad. 

NEXT UP FOR THE SEAHAWKS:
The Seahawks will be back in action next weekend, travelling to Princeton, NJ and competing in the Princeton Invitational. They will compete in a total of three games during their two day stay, beginning with a double header on Saturday, February 8 against No. 17 Princeton at 4:00 pm, followed by George Washington at 7:00 pm. They will conclude the weekend on Sunday with their third and final matchup of the season against the No. 17 Harvard Crimson at 12:00 pm.