2/24/14

The women’s water polo team traveled to Harvard for the CWPA/MAAC Crossover from Feb. 22-23 and capped off the performance with an impressive record of 3-1 on the weekend, defeating Villanova, Iona, and Siena while falling only to Wagner.

“Overall this weekend was a success,” Hanna Sunday ’16 said. “Our goal for this season is to keep a winning attitude no matter the circumstances.”

On Feb. 22, the team logged an 8-6 victory over Villanova that set the pace for the rest of the weekend. The squad came out strong with a 2-0 lead after the first quarter and would not relinquish that lead throughout the game. Sunday led the offense with a team-high four goals in the victory. In addition, Stephanie Ovalle ’14, Mackenzie Ferry ’14, Taylor Barnett ’15, and Tegan Stanbach ’17 each tallied goals of their own.

In the second game, the Orange and Blue finished the day with a 9-6 win over Iona. Julianne Valdes ’14 led the offensive effort with four goals, supported by Ovalle with two goals as well. Eleanor Marrs ’16 added four assists, a career high, and improved her season tally to 12 assists. On the day, Marrs contributed one goal and seven assists, while Ovalle contributed three goals and one assist. Rena Heim ’14 finished the day with 21 saves to bring her total to over 700 for her career. The win against Villanova also counted as the 250th win in program history.

After a promising first day, the Orange and Blue took on Wagner on Feb. 23. The Bison came up short by a margin of 13-5 but fought hard throughout the game. Despite only being down by a score of 5-2 at half, the Orange and Blue were dominated 5-1 in the fourth quarter and outscored 8-3 in the second half despite a four-goal effort from Barbara Peterson ’15. Valdes scored the only other goal for the Bison.

Despite the tough morning matchup, the Bison lined up against a Siena squad in the afternoon and emerged with a 9-5 win to bring the weekend record to 3-1. The Orange and Blue were led by Sunday who provided five goals, tying her career high. Ovalle, Ferry, Peterson, and Katherine DeRuff ’16 also recorded individual goals. Backup goalie Haley Derrod ’17 received 24 minutes of playing time, recording nine saves for the Orange and the Blue. 

“Our attitude allowed us to beat Villanova and Sienna, but more importantly Iona. We are very excited to continue our season with the same attitude,” Sunday said.

The women’s water polo team will rest until a spring break trip to California commences, when they will play eight teams starting with Cal Baptist on March 11.