Women's Water Polo | February 17, 2019
ERIE, Pa. -- The Mercyhurst Invitational will be remembered for La Salle's historic Division I win against Saint Francis (Pa.) on the first day, and not the pair of losses on the second. The Explorers fought to keep both scorelines close but fell to Gannon 17-11 in the morning and, later, a slim 11-9 defeat to Salem in the afternoon.
Gannon 17, La Salle 11
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- La Salle and Gannon started the match trading blows, and goals, in the first quarter. The Golden Knights struck first, bu then sophomores Sarah DeFusco and Jillian Delisle found the ack of the net to give the Explorers and early lead. Gannon equalized until DeFusco scored again to give the Explorers a 3-2 lead after the first.
- Gannon outscored La Salle 3-1 in the second quarter jump out in front at the half, 5-4. The Golden Knights then extended that lead to three out of the break, Madison Martinez brought one back for the Explorers, and the teams went back-and-forth until Gannon scored consecutively to take an 11-8 advantage into the fourth.
- The Golden Knights outscored the Explorers 6-3 in the final frame, despite tallies from freshmen Madelyn Koerper, Sabrina Hoffmeister, and sophomore Karle Linden.
- DeFusco paced the team in goals with three. Martinez and Koerper followed with two each. Martinez also recorded three assists, tied with Delisle for most in the game.
- Defensively, Koerper led the way in steals with three, while Linden, alng with her goal, blocked two shots.
Salem 11, La Salle 9
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Martinez and Linden led the Explorers in goals with three each--Martinez shooting three for six and Linden scoring on three of her four shot attempts.
- DeFusco, while netting twice, tallied a season-high in assists with five dishes. She also had a steal and two blocks to cap a well-rounded performance.
- Martinez and Delisle both finished with highs in exclusions earned, with a pair of kickouts drawn each.
- The Explorers rotated goalies in the loss, with Emily Rogers saving twice on 11 shots and Jenny Fermaintt denying one of three shots she faced.
UP NEXT
- La Salle return home to Kirk Pool, hosting Princeton on Friday night. This will be the first ever meeting between the schools, with action set to begin at 7:00 p.m.
