The MAAC Championship between the Marist Red Foxes (24-11, 8-3 MAAC) and Wagner Seahawks (21-8, 11-1 MAAC) fulfilled expectations with a nailbiter for all 32 minutes. Marist and Wagner fans alike created an incredible environment full of screaming on both ends.
After All-MAAC First team member Magali Ogg won the opening sprint, the Seahawks wasted no time gaining a 2-0 lead. MAAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year Carlota Alonso scored the first goal of the game 18 seconds into play, and sophomore center Catherine Mentz followed that up with her first goal 40 seconds later.
Alonso dominated the Red Foxes today with five goals on eight shots and an assist.
“She’s confident… She’s smooth,” said head coach Chris Vidale. “She’s aggressive. She can rip it, and she doesn’t let the little things get to her.”
However, sophomore utility Samantha Bentley quickly capitalized on junior attacker Martina Parisi’s exclusion, finding the back of the net with 6:24 left in the first period off an assist from senior attack Liana Hunt. Hunt finished with three assists and a goal of her own. Less than a minute later, Bentley scored again to tie the game.
Bentley finished with three goals and two assists for a total of five points.
Ogg netted her second goal of the game just 20 seconds later, giving Wagner a lead they never looked back from. Junior goaltender Inés Sánchez recorded no saves on the first six shots she faced, only grabbing her first in the dwindling seconds off a miracle shot.
Poor defense from the Red Foxes led to six first period goals from the Seahawks and a 6-2 lead after the first period.
“We’ve been in tough situations before so just reminding them that we’ve been through something like this before,” said Vidale when asked about what he told his team after the first period, “We were playing for grand slams, and we didn’t need to. We played rushed.”
Marist’s defense improved in the final three periods with the team outscoring Wagner 9-8 in the final 24 minutes.
The Red Foxes made eight defensive stops in the frame, including a beautiful outstretched save from Sánchez. The stops electrified the crowd who began pouring down chants midway through the period.
“We’re a Hudson Valley sport playing a West Coach sport, and I appreciate the buying that these people have for water polo here,” said Vidale, “I love that the football players would be like ‘I’ve never seen it before, and I’m impressed with what they can do.’ I think all that’s awesome.”
Marist scored four times in the second period from four different Red Foxes: junior attack Lela McCarroll, sophomore attacker Kendall De Beer, junior utility Paige Naegle and Bentley’s third of the day.
Though Marist took the momentum into halftime and only trailed 8-6, Alex Andrist found the net 21 seconds into the third period. Great defense halted scoring for the next three minutes particularly from the extremely aggressive press defense Wagner played; oftentimes, two Seahawks double teamed the Red Fox with the ball.
“Their ethos is they live in the press, and they push the counter, and we know that was coming. We just did not adjust to it in the appropriate amount of time,” said Vidale.
With 4:37 left in the frame, Naegle netted her second of the day, which senior attacker Rachel Dean followed up with a goal of her own 50 seconds later. In between the goals, Sánchez made a beautiful save – one of her three in the period and seven on the day.
Even with the crowd on their side, the Red Foxes could not push through the Seahawks after Parisi scored with 2:18 remaining in the period.
With a steep 11-8 deficit to climb, De Beer converted on her second goal of the day just over a minute into the last period.
However, back-to-back goals from Andrist and sophomore attacker Ana Arias at the 3:04 and 3:28 marks respectively provided the final push Wagner needed.
The 13-9 lead proved too much for Marist, despite a hopeful goal from senior center Ella Baumgarten with 3:34 to go in the frame. Another goal from Alonso and Hunt’s lone goal led to the 14-11 final score. The Seahawks outshot Marist 30 to 20 in the contest.
Despite the loss, Vidale loved coaching this team in particular.
“I’ve had the beauty of coaching a ton of great individuals in my nine years here at Marist, and I think this might be my best team as far as the cohesiveness of these young women. They know each other in and out of the water,” said Vidale.
Wagner shut down Marist’s hopes of making their sixth NCAA tournament appearance with the program’s 12th MAAC title. Vidale and his team will head back to the lab and begin the offseason in hopes of surpassing Wagner next year for the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 2021.
With five seniors (Hunt, defender Claudia Lee, Baumgarten, Dean and utility Victoria Padilla) leaving, the Red Foxes will bring in five new recruits next year. Vidale, however, will always appreciate these seniors.
“They’re leaving this place better than where they found it. That’s really what it’s about […] I appreciate them for sure,” said Vidale.
Edited by Hayden Shapiro
Graphic by Kira Crutcher
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