March 19, 2011
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The Marist water polo team defeated Concordia (Calif.) 9-6 and Pomona-Pitzer 16-8 on the second and final day of the Lancer Invitational. Junior Alexis Solaro (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) made 21 total saves on the day for the Red Foxes.
In game one against Concordia, Marist fell behind 2-0 before senior Rosie Pauli (Sacramento, Calif.) put the Red Foxes on the board. After a Concordia goal just 18 seconds after Pauli's, Puccino scored her first goal of the game with one second remaining in the first quarter. Closing out a string of three consecutive Marist goals scored by Puccino, the Red Foxes entered the half locked in a 4-4 tie.
Just 24 seconds into the third quarter, Marist took a 5-4 lead on a goal by Kline. She would go on to score three goals in the period, while Puccino added two more of her own to give the Red Foxes a 9-5 lead entering the fourth quarter. Marist allowed just one goal in the final quarter to claim the 9-6 victory.
In the second game of the day, against Pomona-Pitzer, the Red Foxes jumped out to a 4-1 lead at the end of the first quarter, as Desaulniers scored two goals, followed by one each by Puccino and Pauli. Marist outscored Pomona-Pitzer 3-2 in the second quarter for a 7-3 halftime lead.
Sophomore Kirsten Siegel (San Diego, Calif.) also scored in the third quarter where Marist outscored Pomona-Pitzer by a 4-2 margin, and took an 11-5 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Red Foxes did not take their foot off the pedal in the final quarter of play, putting up five goals to Pomona-Pitzer's three. Desaulniers scored twice more for a total of four in the game, along with goals by Puccino, Kline and Agnes Konopka (Simi Valley, Calif.), giving the Red Foxes the 16-8 win.
After a lengthy break, the Red Foxes will return to action on April 2 when they travel to Cambridge, Mass., to take on Harvard. The meeting will be their second of the season, as Marist won the first matchup 13-10 back on Feb. 20 in the Marist Invitational. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Marist-Concordia Line Score
Marist-2-2-5-0-9
Concordia-3-1-1-1-6
Marist Goals: Puccino 5, Kline 3, Pauli
Marist Saves: Solaro 10
Marist-Pomona-Pitzer Line Score
Marist-4-3-4-5-16
Pomona Pitzer-1-2-2-3-8
Marist Goals: Puccino 4, Desaulniers 4, Rinker 3, Pauli, Konopka, Siegel, Chavez, Kline
Marist Saves: Solaro 11
