Women's Water Polo Hosts GW, Princeton to End Regular Season
4/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown University women's water polo will host George Washington University and No. 13 Princeton University at the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center on Saturday at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. respectively to close the regular season in a pair of match-ups which will affect the CWPA standings.
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LAST TIME OUT
Junior Olivia Santiago scored three goals, and freshman goalie Marisol Dakan did not allow the Crimson to convert on two penalty shots, but Brown University women's water polo fell to No. 20 Harvard University, 7-6, on Thursday night at Blodgett Pool.
The Bears (17-15, 3-4 CWPA) outscored the Crimson (18-10, 5-2 CWPA) 3-1 over the game's final seven minutes, but the hosts held on for the win to split the regular season series with the visitors. Brown beat Harvard 6-5 earlier this year in the Ivy Championship semifinals on Feb. 22.
Santiago (Los Altos, Calif.) paced the Bears' offense while sophomore Shannon Crowley (Seal Beach, Calif.) scored twice in the fourth quarter, and senior Liz Rosen (San Anselmo, Calif.) added a goal.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
George Washington brings a 12-12 overall record and a 1-6 mark in CWPA play into Saturday, coming off a weekend in which the Colonials beat Notre Dame College and fell to Indiana and Princeton. Jacqueline Bywater leads the team with 125 points on 72 goals and 53 assists. In net, Chandler Vilander has totaled 179 saves on the season.
Princeton carries a 24-3 overall mark and a 6-1 record in CWPA league games into the weekend after the Tigers beat Notre Dame College and Michigan while falling to Indiana in overtime last weekend. Ashley Hatcher paces the team with 63 goals while Haley Wan leads the team with 41 assists. In net, Ashleigh Johnson and Helena Van Brande have split time, making 224 and 123 saves respectively.
CWPA STANDINGS
Entering the final league weekend of the regular season, Brown holds the sixth spot in the Collegiate Water Polo Association standings with six points on a 3-4 record. GW stands in a tie for eighth with two points on a 1-6 mark, and Princeton ranks in a tie for first with Michigan on 12 points (6-1). Indiana, Harvard, and Hartwick all stand just ahead of the Bears in a tie for third place with 10 points.
On Saturday, Brown will also host a pair of CWPA games with the potential to shift the standings as Harvard plays Princeton at 11:30 a.m., and George Washington squares off with the Crimson at 3:30 p.m.
THE OFFENSE
Sophomore Shannon Crowley (Seal Beach, Calif.) has paced the Bears offense in 2015, leading the team in both goals (74) and assists (43). She won CWPA Player of the Week honors on March 4 and paces the club with 73 steals.
Classmate Marisa Kolokotronis (Sacramento, Calif.) has followed closely, ranking second on the team with 48 goals to go with 24 assists. She ranks second on the team with 52 steals and gained CWPA Player of the Week honors on March 26.
Senior Liz Rosen (San Anselmo, Calif.) has provided a steady, veteran presence for the Bears, notching 44 goals to go with 40 assists. She has also tallied 41 steals and 25 ejections drawn.
DAKAN SETS SAVES RECORD
With at least five games still to play, freshman goalie Marisol Dakan (Pasadena, Calif.) has set Brown's single-season saves record with 346 saves thus far in 2015. She eclipsed the previous record of 296 saves set by Evan Cranston in 2012.
Dakan has stepped into the goalkeeper position as a rookie and started every game for the Bears, averaging 10.81 saves per game. She has garnered CWPA Defensive Player of the Week honors on two occasions – Feb. 26 and March 10. She made a season-high 18 saves in the team's 7-6 win over Iona on March 8.
EJECTIONS DRAWN
Junior Olivia Santiago (Los Altos, Calif.) leads Brown with 72 ejections drawn on the year. She has also added 31 goals, 18 assists, 31 steals, and seven field blocks on the season.
COMING SOON
Next, Brown will compete at the CWPA Championship at Princeton from April 24-26.
