Women's Water Polo | February 16, 2019
ERIE, Pa. -- Another Invitational, another landmark victory for women's water polo. Last weekend, the Explorers defeated Salem at the Bucknell Invitational for their first win of the year and second-ever win against an NCAA opponent. On Saturday, they rode that momentum to new, historic heights. La Salle began the Mercyhurst Invitational with a narrow loss to McKendree, dropping the game 13-8. In the afternoon, however, they came face-to-face with Saint Francis (Pa.)--an opponent whom they were already frustrated by twice this season--and emerged with a thrilling 11-10 win.
McKendree 13, La Salle 8
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Freshman Madelyn Koerper led the way in scoring with three goals on three shots. She was the only Explorer with multiple goals on the game--sophomores Madison Martinez, Sarah DeFusco, and Karle Linden, plus junior Katelynn Kubo, all tallied once.
- Defensively, Martinez and sophomore Jillian Delisle recorded a joint-high in steals with two each, while the Explorers as a team had one block, courtesy of Linden.
- Martinez also led La Salle in exclusions earned with three; the only girl to record multiple in that category.
- In goal, junior Jenny Fermaintt recorded nine saves on 20 shots, good for a 45% save percentage. She also dished out two assists, which made her the top provider in the game for La Salle along with DeFusco.
La Salle 11, Saint Francis (Pa.) 10
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- The Explorers grabbed a late, dramatic win vs. the Red Flash when freshman Mary-Trese Squeglia came on to spell Koerper, only to score the go-ahead goal in the fourth quarter. To date, the finish from the rookie playing in her hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania might be the most significant in program history.
- It was a defensive, gritty result for the Explorers, which can be summed-up in Linden's stat line for the game: one goal, one assist, three steals, and three blocked shots.
- Linden and Delisle went head-to-head in steals as both finished with three each. As a team, La Salle had the stickiest of fingers, tallying 14 steals overall.
- Along with Squeglia's clutch goal and Linden's singular strike, the scoring was evenly distributed between a few familiar names. Martinez paced the team with three goals, DeFusco and Delisle added two of their own, and junior Stephanie Morales netted once.
- Speaking of distribution, La Salle's passing game was also on point. Three Explorers had multi-assist games, with Morales, Kubo, and DeFusco on the double.
- Freshman Emily Rogers also had an assist in the game. She split time in net with Fermaintt, who had two saves on seven shots. Rogers, for her part, finished with three saves on eight shots.
COACH'S TAKE
- Head coach Tom Hyham reflected on the significance of the victory: "I am very pleased with the way the team played this afternoon. We worked hard all week focusing on the Saint Francis game. The win marks the first Division I win in program history. They are the only Division 1 opponent that we face this weekend so maintaining a strong focus was key."
UP NEXT
- La Salle will look to build upon the monumental win on Sunday. They begin the day against Gannon at 9:15 a.m., then face Salem at 2:15 p.m.
