Marist water polo traveled north to Loudonville, NY to play in a MAAC doubleheader against the Iona Gaels (10-7 overall, 2-1 MAAC) and the Siena Saints (4-13 overall, 0-2 MAAC).
Marist edged Iona in a thrilling overtime win 16-14 and cruised to a 19-11 victory over the Saints, extending their win streak to six games.
Game one tipped off at 9:30 am against Iona. Marist rushed out to a 3-0 lead in the first couple of minutes, with two goals from utility Viktoria Orlova and one score from senior Shinae Carrington. Iona responded with a goal of their own from freshman utility Lola Trujillo.
Iona would later use a full timeout to get itself sorted after a shaky start. The Gaels did just that, forcing Marist into turnovers and tying the match in the final minute of the first period with goals from graduate student Jordan van Reeken and freshman Sadie Sallas. The Red Foxes put themselves ahead with nine seconds left in the first period after a goal from sophomore Victoria Padilla.
Iona quickly answered to begin the second period with van Reeken scoring again. Marist would not score until about halfway through the quarter when Shinae Carrington deposited a shot on the power play.
One minute later, Van Reeken finished off a first-half hat trick with a power play goal after an exclusion penalty on Claudia Lee. The Red Foxes took advantage of the power play in the first half, going two of five with Paige Neale scoring the team’s second power-play goal. Marist pulled away to end the first half with goals from Orlova and Carrington to go ahead 8-6 at halftime.
Iona would flip the switch in the second half and score five goals in the third period, where four of them came with a man advantage.
Trujillo scored twice for the Gaels, with Van Reeken, Miranda Miller, and Malia Naugle adding scores to put Iona up one, 11-10, ending into the fourth period. Marist’s two goals in the third were from junior utility Kaylee Brard and Orlova.
Marist began the scoring in the fourth with another power-play goal, this time by sophomore attacker Rachel Dean. Less than a minute later Orlova converted a penalty shot to give Marist the lead. Halfway through the fourth, Victoria Padilla netted a power-play goal for the Red Foxes, who were now up 13-11.
Amelia Gonzalez got Iona on the board in the fourth at the 3-minute mark with a power play goal. Gaels leader Jordan Van Reeken tied the game at 13 with 2:43 left with a penalty shot.
In the final minute, both teams used a timeout to draw up a play to potentially take the lead. However, neither team scored and the game moved into overtime.
After exchanging possessions, Marist utility Viktoria Orlova notched her sixth goal of the day to give Marist the lead. Iona responded again with a power play goal by Van Reeken. With the game tied at 14, Orlova did it again with 36 seconds left. Marist led 15-14 heading into the second overtime period.
Senior Emilie Gerhard extended the Red Foxes’ lead halfway through the period. With under 30 seconds left, Iona gets one back when graduate student Karsyn Stewart finds the net. However, Marist finished out the game and came out on top after a back-and-forth battle with the Gaels, winning by a score of 16-15.
Marist was led by Orlova, who finished the game with an impressive nine points (7G, 2A), and Shinae Carrington with six points (3G, 3A). Senior Fallon Burnworth tallied three assists in the match as well.
Iona converted well on the power play, going 6-for-12, but Marist shot five percent better overall and converted an extra penalty shot. Jordan Van Reeken led the scoring for the Gaels with six goals and one assist.
Marist split time in goal, with two freshmen, Inés Sanchez and Zoë Seaboch playing 14 and 22 minutes respectively, with Seaboch getting the win.
This was the closest victory for Marist all season who has now won five straight.
Game two started at noon against Siena, who Marist beat previously this season on senior day March 19, winning 21-13. Ten Red Foxes scored a goal in that match, led by sophomore center Ella Baumgarten with four.
In this one, Marist moved out to a 3-0 in the first quarter, forcing Siena into a timeout. Orlova started the scoring with two of her own and sophomore Rachel Dean netted a shot after a cross-pool pass from freshman attacker Lela McCarroll.
The first quarter ended with the Red Foxes up 5-0 after adding scores from sophomores Liana Hunt and Victoria Padilla.
McCarroll extended Marist’s lead until Siena finally gets on the board with freshman center Finn Magill. Padilla notches another goal for Marist, and Siena takes another timeout with 6:12 left in the half.
Marist continues their barrage despite a Siena goalie change, with two goals by Paige Neal and one from Kaylee Brard. Siena adds a goal from freshman Audrey Lacey, but Marist responded instantaneously with a power play goal by Rachel Dean.
Dean would score again for Marist as it cruised to a 12-2 lead at the half. The Red Foxes shot a lethal 75 percent in the first half, going 2-for-5 on the power play. Marist goalie duo of Sanchez and Seaboch held Siena to 2-of-14 shooting.
Viktoria Orlova continued her red-hot scoring day to open the third quarter. Senior center India Alter put one through before Saints’ top-scorer Parker Thomas finished a power play goal. Grace Boeve gets another power-play goal for Siena, making the score 14-4 Red Foxes. Both sides would trade goals before the end of the third quarter, with Marist up 15-5.
From there, Siena was only able to marginally cut into the lead as the Red Foxes were able to coast to the finish line.
An unstoppable force, Orlova notched another power-play goal. Surely, she will be in contention for MAAC player of the week, finishing the day with 12 goals and 2 assists.
The Red Foxes had a more balanced distribution of scoring, with three players scoring five points (Liana Hunt, Victoria Badilla, and Viktoria Orlova) and twelve players getting on the scoresheet. Marist shot an efficient 60 percent and was 5-for-10 on the powerplay, getting any look they wanted with a patient and spaced offense.
Now winners of six straight, Marist will look to continue their success down in Lexington, VA as they play a doubleheader against Villanova at 8 am and VMI at 1 p.m. on Apr. 1 and Sunday, Apr. 2 against La Salle University at 11:20 a.m.
Edited by Jonathan Kinane
Photo from Marist Athletics via Stockton Photo