This past weekend, Marist University water polo was across the coast in Santa Clara, California. The team ended the weekend 3-1, taking down number 20 University of the Pacific in their first game of the weekend.
The Red Foxes faced off against University of the Pacific earlier this month in Rhode Island at the Bruno Classic where the Red Foxes lost in a hard fought 10-15 matchup. This time Marist came ready; playing with a balanced attack on offense and defense.
The game started off with an immediate back and forth with the starting goal coming from the Powercat’s red shirt sophomore center Alicia Petko in the first thirty seconds of play. Less than a minute later sophomore attacker Kendell De Beer forced a steal for Marist regaining possession for the Red Foxes. Senior utility Victoria Padilla was found open and nailed one into the back of the net to set the score even at one.
Then, Powercat senior Hila Futorian ripped an attempt on junior goalie Ines Sanchez but hit the bar, sending the ball to senior attacker Rachel Dean. Dean let one rip herself and got denied by sophomore goalie Maja Lizy Dulic.
Dean would go on to score a minute later off a pass from De Beer in the fourth minute of play, 50 seconds after University of the Pacific found their second goal from sophomore Ella Cowan.
Junior utility Makaele Hansberger started the Red Foxes push towards the end off the first with two back-to-back goals both assisted by sophomore attack Emily Scheerer. Marist entered the second up three.
University of the Pacific never regained the lead after the first. With Marist outsourcing the Powercats 6-3 in the first. Scheerer had a standout performance with six goals, and four assists. Eight different Red Foxes found the back of the net against the Powercats. Sanchez closed the defeat of number 20 University of the Pacific with 11 saves.
Marist continued with a balanced attack in their second game of the invitational against number 22 in the country CSUN.
The game began like many others for the Red Foxes, featuring a steady exchange of momentum that persisted until the final whistle.
The Red Foxes were down one going into the second quarter and then outscored CSUN 5-3 in the second. Marist was able to take advantage of CSUN exclusions in the second, finding two goals of the powerplay and one off a penalty shot from sophomore utility Samantha Bentley.
At halftime, the Red Foxes held a two-point lead with a score of 8-6. However, Marist was outscored 3-1 in the third quarter, bringing the game to a tie heading into the fourth.
The fourth opened with Dean winning the split for Marist and then finding Padilla who shoots but is unable to convert. Sanchez recorded three blocked shots in the fourth, ending the game with a standout performance of eighteen saves, compared to CSUN’s Byars who only recorded five.
At the 4:26 mark Marist head coach Chris Vidale called a time-out to allow his team to rest and regroup. 18 seconds after the timeout the Red Foxes found themselves on the power play and Padilla beat the goalie to win it for Marist 10-9.
The Red Foxes ended their match with CSUN with 25 shots, opposed to the Matadors 42 shots.
Marist would enter Sunday with two wins and two more games to go, number 19 San Jose State University and California State University Monterey Bay.
Marist is 6-1 all-time against the Spartans winning once in a overtime thriller in 2019 with the final score being 10-9.
Despite the close matchup and late rallies, the Red Foxes were unable to get a win over the Spartans. Being outscored in the first, second and third quarters. Handing Marist their first and only loss of the weekend.
The Red Foxes ended their weekend in Santa Clara with a dominant 18-9 victory against Cal State Monterey Bay. A season high ten Red Foxes recorded goals in the win. With De Beer leading Marist with four goals, followed by freshman attack Alyssa Valante who tallied a hat trick and Dean and Bentley who both ended with a pair each.
The Red Foxes improved to 6-5 overall and are still undefeated in the MAAC. The team will play again on Friday, Feb. 28th in Claremont, California at the 2025 Convergence Tournament.
Edited By: Hayden Shapiro
Graphic Credit: Cara Lacey
Photo Credit: Kira Crutcher
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