Women's Water Polo | February 15, 2019

Erie, Pa. – Women's water polo jump into the Mercyhurst Invitational with a pair of games on Saturday and Sunday. They'll look to build on their second NCAA win from last weekend and keep the momentum rolling. They'll face McKendree and Saint Francis (Pa.) on Saturday, then Gannon and Salem on Sunday.

ABOUT THE EXPLORERS

• Sophomore Sarah DeFusco led the way with eight goals in the Bucknell Invitational, followed by sophomore Madison Martinez and freshman Madelyn Koerper with six each.
• In addition to her scoring production, Koerper topped the team in exclusions earned with six. Fellow freshman Charley Stricker followed with four and Jillian Delisle added three kickouts drawn.
• Delisle was the top provider for the Explorers in the Invitational—she tallied six assists. Stephanie Morales followed with four.
• Jenny Fermaintt showed up huge in net with 25 saves on 52 shots--good for a 48.1 % save percentage. The number one also had three steals and two assists in the Invitational.
• La Salle limited Saint Francis and Salem to nine goals each, the first and second time of the season they held an opponent to a single-digit scoreline.

SCOUTING MCKENDREE

• This is the Bearcats first action of the season; they have never played La Salle in their brief history (the program is in its third year).
• McKendree have finished each of the past two campaigns with a 9-16 record. Last season they were 4-9 in neutral locations.
• Twelve of the 22 players on the roster are freshmen.
• Game time: Saturday, 9:30 a.m.

SCOUTING SAINT FRANCIS

• The Red Flash have faced La Salle twice this season, defeating the Explorers on both occasions. In the Bruno Classic, Saint Francis were victorious 13-8; in the Bucknell Invitational, they won 9-7.
• Ani Aghakhanian has been the team's most prolific scorer against La Salle with seven goals.
• Overall, Saint Francis are 4-4 on the season. The Red Flash are currently riding a three-game winning streak.
• Game time: Saturday, 3:15 p.m.

SCOUTING GANNON

• The Golden Knights have faced La Salle twice in the program's history and emerged victorious on both occasions--once in 2017 and again in 2018.
• Gannon also participated in the Bucknell Invitational, starting their season 0-4 with losses to Harvard, Wagner, Saint Francis (Pa.), and Siena.
• They return their top-scorer from last season, junior Campbell Ruh with 53 goals, but lost their second, third, and fourth most prolific scorers. Ruh paces the team again this season with five goals, followed by three women on four goals each.
• Game time: Sunday, 9:15 a.m.

SCOUTING SALEM

• In their first season, Salem have started 0-4, including 11-9 loss to La Salle. In the game against the Explorers, Erin Zappia led the Tigers with three goals on three shots.
• On the season, they're led by Annefleur ten Bloemendal, a freshman from the Netherlands who has scored eight goals. She's followed by Maryanna Antoniou with seven goals. Margherita Garibbo, ranking third with five goals, also tops the team in assists with six this season.
• Game time: Sunday, 2:15 p.m.