In its preseason finale, the women’s water polo team traveled to Hartwick College this weekend, losing 17-10 against its home-turf opponents but bouncing back to beat Marist College 13-9.
Emily McNamara ’14 stepped up for Bruno (3-4) this weekend, scoring five goals against Marist (4-9) and getting a hat trick versus Hartwick (9-5). Utility player Kate Woods ’14 contributed one goal against the Red Foxes and two against the Hawks.
Woods highlighted the performance of Olivia Santiago ’16, calling her a high scorer for the team this weekend. Santiago helped bring a spark in the second quarter to put the Bears ahead. She scored three goals against Marist and received two ejections.
Marisa Kolokotronis ’17 contributed in the Hartwick game, getting a hat trick for Bruno and notching three assists.
The Bears had lost to Marist only three weeks earlier, 14-13.
Goalie Sarah Shin ’14 said the “three weeks to focus on defining our defense and offense” made a big difference.
Shin defended the net effectively, tallying nine saves against Marist. In the first game against the Red Foxes, the Bears had many problems with kick outs, a situation in which a player gets kicked out of the game for a foul or penalty, Shin said. After team members reviewed what they needed to do, they did not foul out as much, she added.
Shin also attributed the win to the offense, which she called “a lot better than last year.”
Woods said there is “so much contribution across the whole entire board.” The team does not rely on specific players for scores, she said, adding that the current squad is “probably the deepest team we’ve ever had.”
Despite the well-rounded scoring by the offense, Shin said Bruno’s defense was pretty weak against Hartwick. The Hawks came out with a strong lead, and the Bears spent the whole game trying to close the gap. Though the team struggled defensively, Shin posted another nine saves in the game.
The “biggest part is communicating, letting each other know what’s going on,” Woods said. The Bears can fix their difficulties through repetition and getting “a couple more games under our belt,” she said, adding that she is upbeat about the upcoming season.
This year’s team is probably the “team I have been most excited about,” Woods said, citing its strong first-years and returning class.
Shin said the team is “very focused on improving our game in general.” Bruno hopes to take this focus into its next game — the first of the regular season — March 1 against George Washington University (4-7).
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