MAAC Women’s Water Polo Report: Opening Weekend Underscores Dominance at the Top

Wagner remains the team to beat in the MAAC. Photo Courtesy: Wagner Athletics

Michael Randazzo, Swimming World Contributor

A takeaway from the first weekend of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play is that the haves of the MAAC possess more depth, talent and ultimately victories than the have-nots. Over two days of action last Saturday and Sunday at Siena’s Marcelle Athletics Complex, all eight MAAC teams opened 2018 with the same record, but—in sweeping to a perfect 7-0 record for the weekend—Wagner and Marist demonstrated they’re in a class by themselves.

Wagner (11-6, 3-0 MAAC), ranked 18th in the latest Collegiate Water Polo Association poll, outscored La Salle, host Siena and Virginia Military Institute by 50-13.

In a pronouncement that might dismay his MAAC competition, Wagner Head Coach Chris Radmonovich said his squad is not yet at its peak.

“It’s always a struggle the first weekend to get back in a shallow-deep pool,” said Radmonovich, whose team has been in seven straight MAAC finals, winning the last four. “It’s good to get a conference win. Hopefully we keep getting better as the MAAC season goes along.”

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The Seahawks’ dominance was matched by Marist, and then some. The Red Foxes (11-12, 4-0 MAAC), ranked #23 in the country, scored 66 goals while yielding 28 in wins over Iona, La Salle, St. Francis Brooklyn and Siena.

Now in his second year leading the Red Foxes, Marist Head Coach Chris Vidale looks forward to taking on the Seahawks— who have beaten the Red Foxes in four straight MAAC championship matches—next weekend at Iona.

“The thing that I notice most about Wagner is they are confident, and it shows in everything that they do,” he said, then added: “The first part is matching your confidence with their confidence. To challenge them you’ve got to get them to think.”

The Gaels (5-18, 2-1 MAAC), ticketed for third in a conference that advances the top four teams to postseason play, enjoyed a good start to MAAC play. Wins over VMI and Villanova were balanced by a 7-5 loss to Marist, where the Red Foxes figured out a way to stop Hannah Schultz, last year’s MAAC Co-Offensive player of the year. Schultz got off six shots against Marist goalies Jessica Hermosillo and Hope Vickers, but none got through.

Iona Head Coach Brian Kelly spoke admiringly about his talented senior from Chicago.

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“Hannah knows it’s senior year and she’s pushing really hard,” Kelly said following a 17-7 win over Villanova. “She’s tremendously fit and does what she has to do every single practice.”

As to what it will take this year to win the MAAC, the longest-tenured coach in the conference was guardedly optimistic.

“The main focus right now is getting into that tournament,” Kelly said about postseason play. “We did ourselves a big favor this weekend beating a really good VMI team and a solid Villanova program.”

As in years past, the fourth and final berth in the conference tournament will be hotly contested. Based upon performances this past weekend, three teams will vie for the spot, and one hard-luck loser that may yet turn their season around.

Host Siena (3-12, 2-2 MAAC) was the surprise of the weekend as the Saints captured two one-goal victories—10-9 over Villanova and 14-13 over St. Francis—thanks to the almost miraculous arrival of Fiona Dretzka, who had played water polo her first two years at Siena but quit to pursue swimming. Now a senior and with her last swim meet finished two weeks ago, the 5-8 former high school goalie returned just in time for the Saints, who had been reduced to using field players in goal the previous seven games. Dretzka ended up being the difference maker in Siena’s wins, stopping 12 Wildcat shots on Saturday and 11 Terrier tries on Sunday.

“This weekend we’re learning about Fiona, who got in on Friday for practice, and is playing games for me on Saturday,” Siena Head Coach Tamara Perea said. “I’m so grateful to take a field player out of the goal and allow her to play to her strengths.”

Also 2-2 on the weekend was VMI (9-4, 2-2 MAAC); the Keydets established that they have the talent in goal to not only contend for a post-season berth, but to be a dangerous playoff opponent. Sophomore Isabel French stopped a program-high 22 shots in a 14-9 win Sunday against St. Francis, then repeatedly frustrated Wagner’s high-powered offense later in the day. A concerted effort by the Seahawk defense, which held the Keydets scoreless for the final 14 minutes of the match, coupled with goals from Elise Begg, Kristy Donkin and Kimberly Watson, allowed Wagner to escape with an 8-6 win.

“She’s obviously already very good with her length and has unbelievable instincts,” her coach, Ryan Pryor said after the Wagner game. “The sky’s the limit for Izzy.”

After a breakout 2017 season when his team finished third in the MAAC and qualified for its first-ever postseason, Pryor was predictably sanguine about what it will take to get the Keydets back to the postseason.

“We’ve got 14 MAAC games, they all count for the same in the conference standings,” he said. “We’ll treat each one just as important as any other.”

Villanova (3-11, 1-2 MAAC) relies heavily on the thunderous right arm of senior Dominique Clark, who led them to a 12-7 win over St. Francis Saturday, but— despite a game-high 12 shots—Clark couldn’t get the Wildcats past the Saints in a one-goal contest. That loss, coupled with a 17-7 defeat to Iona, puts Rob DeVita’s squad behind both VMI and Siena, with tough games against Wagner and Marist yet to be played.

A hard luck loser on the weekend was St. Francis (2-11, 0-4 MAAC), which dropped all four matches despite a fantastic effort by freshman Kelsey Snelgar, who delivered 20 goals, including an astounding eight scores on eight shots against Siena. Due to an injury to goalie Ashley Harp, Terrier coach Megan Husak has had to resort to inserting field players in her goal; Emma Gafney and Sara Monckton played valiantly but an experienced netminder might have given St. Francis enough protection to come away with three wins rather than none.

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“Having one goalie has been tough this year,” Husak said, then added about the prospect of losing Harp: “We didn’t want to put that in the universe. It came about on Thursday so we didn’t have much time to prepare.”

Despite the absence of an experienced goalie, the Terriers came remarkably close to a couple of surprising wins.

“I’m really proud of how they played defensively,” Husak added. “Our issue now is to step up on offense.”

La-Salle

La Salle, now in its second year in MAAC play, continues to struggle against conference opponents—or any opponents, for that matter. The Explorers are 0-7 this season following double digit losses to Marist, VMI and Wagner. If there’s a silver lining to their season, and for the MAAC in general, it’s that there’s a lot of matches left to play. With five freshmen paired with eight returning sophomores, La Salle Head Coach Paul Macht’s team will only get better, with winnable games ahead for the young Explorers.

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