Marist water polo concluded its final pre-MAAC conference tournament in Claremont, California by going 1-3 on the weekend.
The Red Foxes (11-13) suffered a narrow 12-11 defeat against California State University Northridge on Friday, followed by a tight 15-13 loss to San Diego State University later that day. On Saturday, the Red Foxes continued to play competitively, falling 15-7 to nationally ranked UC Irvine. The tournament concluded on a positive note for Marist, as they secured a one-goal victory over California Baptist University.
Going into the tournament, Marist was ranked 23rd nationally and was tied with CSUN in the rankings, making for a fascinating opening matchup. On the heels of the tournament, the Red Foxes have dropped to 25 in the CWPA coaches poll.
In the 12-11 loss to CSUN, Marist kept the score close for most of the game. CSUN’s lead didn’t exceed two until late in the third quarter; CSUN went on a four-goal streak to go up 11-7.
In the fourth quarter, junior utility Victoria Padilla scored the first goal for the Red Foxes, followed by a goal by graduate utility Shinae Carrington a minute later to cut the lead to two. With 1:34 left, junior defender Anna Pal scored her third goal of the game, extending CSUN’s lead back to three. Marist continued to apply pressure within the last minute of the game; despite scoring two goals in the last 18 seconds, Marist still fell by one.
Marist’s second game of the tournament came against no. 25 San Diego State. The game was another close one for the Red Foxes, as they kept the Aztecs within a two-goal lead until late in the third quarter.
Marist sophomore utility Paige Naegle ended the game with three goals and one assist. Both junior utility Klara Goldstein and sophomore attack Claudia Valdes each notched hat tricks for the Aztecs.
In the final 30 seconds, senior utility Kaylee Brard netted a goal for Marist, narrowing the score to 14-13. In the last second, freshman defender Lucy Bullock scored, cementing a 15-13 victory for San Diego State.
Saturday’s play began with a matchup against fifth-in-the-nation UC Irvine. The Red Foxes stayed evenly matched with UCI during the first quarter, but by the half, Marist had lost momentum and trailed by four. The Red Foxes were unable to score in the third quarter, while the Anteaters scored five. UC Irvine ultimately went on to win 15-7.
Marist ended the tournament with another close matchup against California Baptist, and this time, they managed to pull out a 10-9 victory. Junior attack Liana Hunt recorded her first hat trick of the season and Naegle recorded four goals.
Cal Baptist outshot Marist 36 to 29, but sophomore goalie Inés Sánchez made an impressive contribution with a season-high 18 saves. Her strong performance earned her MAAC Defensive Player of the Week.
In earning this recognition, Sánchez broke Wagner sophomore goalie Francesca Senas’ four-week streak of being named MAAC Defensive Player of the Week. The Red Foxes will face off against no. 18 Wagner on March 16 at the VMI Invitational when they begin MAAC play. The Seahawks currently hold a 15-3 record and are on a three-game winning streak.
The last time these two teams met was on April 7 of last year. The game went into double overtime, where Marist fell to Wagner 14-13, with the winning goal scored by then-junior utility Grace Coleman.
The Red Foxes will look to use the momentum from their win against Cal Baptist to start off strong in MAAC play.
Edited by Luke Sassa
Photo from Kira Crutcher
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