Women's Water Polo | March 24, 2019
STATEN ISLAND –Women's water polo claimed another victory this weekend at the Spiro Sports Center with a 14-13 triumph over rivals Villanova. The result puts their record at 2-1 over the past two days and sees them climb in MAAC contention.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Villanova and La Salle traded goals to begin the game. The Wildcats would then score two straight to stretch their lead to 3-1 before sophomore Sarah DeFusco netted to close the gap. Villanova again extended its lead, but DeFusco and classmate Jillian Delisle scored to tie things up at 4-4 late in the first. With seconds remaining, the Wildcats struck to go in front.
- Villanova went up by three goals with a pair of strikes in the second quarter. Sophomore Karle Linden answered with a goal of her own to keep the Explorers within range.
- The two teams again exchanged scores to start the third before DeFusco and freshman Madelyn Koerper netted to put the sides on level terms. The Wildcats then sandwiched two goals on either side of a pair of strikes from DeFusco and junior Stephanie Morales.
- Locked at 10-10 entering the final frame, Villanova and La Salle traded goals for the third time in the game. Sophomore Madison Martinez scored twice in quick succession to give La Salle the advantage. The Wildcats would respond, but Martinez answered again. Her hattrick in the fourth would prove the vital difference, as Villanova would score again but fall to the Explorers.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Empire State of mind: with a win today, La Salle is 4-1 in New York this season. Both of their multi-win weekends have come in that state (Poughkeepsie and Staten Island.)
- The Explorers are 3-4 in MAAC play, drawing them level with the Wildcats for fifth place in the conference rankings.
- DeFusco led the team in goals with six, but played well across the board. She tallied two assists, two steals, two exclusions earned and a blocked shot.
- Three other Explorers had multi-goal games: Martinez (three), Delisle (two) and Koerper (two). Delisle paced the team in assists with four, while Koerper followed her with three dishes.
- Apart from being an offensive threat, Koerper was a constant thorn in the Wildcats' side. The rookie drew a career-high nine exclusions earned, along with a team-best two blocks.
COACH'S THOUGHTS
- Reflecting on the weekend's triumphs, head coach Tom Hyham had this to say: "As the season progresses, I continue to be impressed with this team's resiliency and heart. Game after game they find ways to overcome adversity and finish strong. This weekend proved to be one of our best efforts yet. The win over Siena after being beat big by them earlier this season set the tone for the team's success. I am very pleased with where we stand after the latest round of conference games.
UP NEXT
- La Salle will return to New York in two weeks—this time to Brooklyn. There they'll face VMI and Marist on Saturday, April 6th and St. Francis Brooklyn and Iona on Sunday, April 7th.
