April 16, 2011
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Marist water polo team won two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) games at Iona's Hynes Athletic Center Pool on Saturday, defeating Villanova, 18-9 and Siena, 15-11. The win was the team's seventh in its last ten games. The Red Foxes elevated their record to 16-18 on the season and 4-2 in the MAAC.
In the first game, against Villanova, the Red Foxes and Wildcats exchanged goals throughout the first quarter as the teams ended the period with a 5-4 score. Junior Desiree Desaulniers (Orlando, Fla.) netted three goals for Marist in the first eight minutes.
Marist broke it open in the second quarter as they outscored Villanova four goals to one to take a 9-5 lead into halftime. Sophomore Shelby Rinker had assists on three of the four goals during the period.
In the third quarter, Marist continued their scoring and extended their lead to 15-7. Junior Jaclyn Puccino (San Diego, Calif.) scored three of the team's six goals in the period.
The Red Foxes closed out the game strong and outscored Villanova one last time. With their 3-2 goal advantage, Marist finished the game with a final score of 18-9.
Puccino led the team with five goals, while senior Katherine Farley (Wilton, Conn.) each netted a goal to complete the list of Red Fox scorers.
Rinker had a team-high five assists.
In goal, freshman Alexis Solaro (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.) recorded 12 saves for Marist.
Game two saw Siena jump out to an early 3-0 after four minutes of play, but unfazed the Red Foxes fought back as Puccino netted a 5-meter goal and assisted on a Crabtree goal to end the quarter down just one at 3-2.
Keeping the momentum that helped them close out the first, the Red Foxes equal the score in the second quarter on the strength of two Kline goals. Going into half the score was tied 7-7.
The offenses for each team cooled off considerably in the third quarter as neither team broke through for the first 4:05 of the period. With 3:55 remaining, Konopka gave Marist their first lead of the game at 8-7. Puccino netted the second and final goal of the quarter as she converted on a 6 on 5 opportunity, the team's fourth successful conversion in the game.
Up 9-7, the Red Foxes' offense kicked into gear in the fourth and helped put space on the scoreboard between them and the Saints. Pauli and Konopka led the scoring barrage with each scoring two of the six goals in the period. Freshman Yuriria Chavez (Chicago, Ill.) had two points in the quarter, including one goal, which she scored off of a blocked 5-meter rebound and an over-the-back toss. As the final whistle blew in the fourth, the Red Foxes were victorious by a score of 15-12.
Puccino again was the lead scorer for Marist as she tallied four goals versus the Saints. Konopka and Pauli were the second leading scorers as each had three goals. Kline and Crabtree rounded out the list of multi-goal scorers for the Red Foxes. Chavez was the final player with a goal in the game.
Defensively, Solaro made 11 saves in the game and came up with one steal. Pauli had three steals in the highest total for an individual in either game.
The Red Foxes will continue their fight for top seeding in the upcoming MAAC Championship as the face off with title contenders, Iona at 10:30 a.m. and Wagner at 3:00 p.m. Both tilts will be played at St. Francis.
Marist-Villanova Line Score
Marist: 5-4-6-3=18
Villanova: 4-1-2-2=9
Marist Goals: Puccino 5, Desaulniers 3, Konopka 3, Kline 3, Pauli 2, Farley 1, Crabtree 1
Villanova Goals: Maloney 3, Clarke 2, Peachy 2, Ryan 1, Hannigan 1
Marist Saves: Solaro 12
Villanova Saves: Goff 7
Marist-Siena Line Score
Marist: 2-5-2-6=15
Siena: 3-4-0-5=12
Marist Goals: Puccino 4, Pauli 3, Konopka 3, Crabtree 2, Kline 2, Chavez 1
Siena Goals: Hagi 4, Ness 3, Norman 2, Ragg 2, Allen 1
Marist Saves: Solaro 11
