Beginning this Saturday at 1:00 pm, McCann Natatorium will host its 23rd MAAC Water Polo tournament. Marist is set to face off against La Salle at 4 p.m., while Wagner and Villanova play the first game at 1 p.m.
The Red Foxes come into the tournament as the top-seeded team, thanks to their 8-0 record in conference play. They are also ranked No. 18 in the national poll.
Last season, Marist came up short in the conference championship against top-seeded Wagner, losing 14-11. They defeated Villanova in the first round 9-5.
Season Review for Marist
This season was one of Marist’s best in a while; It was the first time since 2015 that they held the best MAAC record, going 11-1. Hosting the tournament will certainly also be of huge benefit to the Red Foxes. They have gone 5-1 at McCann Natatorium, where the only loss came against No. 12-ranked Princeton.
The Red Foxes were well represented in the All-MAAC awards. Senior goaltender Ines Sanchez won Goaltender of the Year, which should have come as no shock since she held opponents to 8.99 goals per game, nearly two ahead of second place at 11.63. Head coach Chris Vidale was also awarded the Coach of the Year award.
In addition to Sanchez, two Marist players were given the honors of All-MAAC first team: junior attackers Kendell De Beer and Anita Radaelli. Senior utility Paige Naegle was voted for the All-MAAC second team.
Outside of conference play, Marist performed well, albeit with a few hiccups. They finished the season with a 24-5 record, with their only losses coming to ranked opponents.
Scouting the competition
As the defending MAAC champions, the Wagner Seahawks came into the season as heavy favorites to repeat. They started the season projected to finish first in the MAAC with eight first-place votes, to Marist’s one. Wagner finished the season ranked No. 22 in the nation and third in the MAAC with a 6-2 record. Despite the high ranking, Wagner’s record did not impress, as they finished 13-12 on the year. Three of these losses came against Marist.
Wagner is led by the MAAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, junior attacker Ana Arias Perez. In total, four Seahawks made All-MAAC teams, including senior attacker Magali Ogg, who made the All-MAAC First Team and was named Preseason Player of the Year. They also have the second-best goalkeeper in the conference, senior Francesca Sena, who made the All-MAAC Second Team
Villanova outperformed expectations, as they finished the year ranked No. 24 and second in the MAAC. They were picked to finish third in the preseason poll, but were vaulted into second thanks to a 15-14 win over Wagner and a 7-1 conference record. Their lone loss of the season was close, 14-13, against Marist.
One of the best players in the MAAC has been sophomore attacker Riley Hull, who was tabbed as the Offensive Player of the Year. She was joined by three other Wildcats on All-MAAC teams.
The biggest surprise of the MAAC season was the performance of the La Salle Explorers. They were picked to finish in sixth and earned themselves a spot in the conference tournament, with a 5-3 conference record. Their three losses all came to the teams ahead of them in the standings, including a 9-3 loss at Marist.
The Explorers were given a huge push by the play of freshman attacker Nadya Azzopardi, who was the MAAC Rookie of the Year. Overall, three La Salle players earned All-MAAC awards.
The teams playing this weekend dominated the MAAC awards; only one major award did not play for one of the four teams, and their players made up 15 of the 24 spots on the all-MAAC first, second, and third teams
Saturday’s games begin at 1 pm when Villanova plays Wagner. The winner of that game will then face the winner of Marist vs La Salle, which starts at 4 pm. No matter the outcome, this weekend will see some of the nation’s best water polo being played.
Edited by Cara Lacey
Graphic by Cara Lacey
Photo by Cara Lacey
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