Women’s Water Polo Defeats La Salle, Falls to No. 16 Wagner on Opening Day

Friday, February 1

Providence, RI

5:30 PM

Brown University

Wagner College

Women’s Water Polo Defeats La Salle, Falls to No. 16 Wagner on Opening Day

2/1/2019 10:41:00 PM | Women's Water Polo

La Salle Results Wagner Results Tournament Central

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown University women's water polo defeated La Salle University, 14-8, and fell to No. 16 Wagner College, 11-6, on Friday evening at the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center on the first day of its 2019 season.

Opening play at the Bruno Classic, the Bears (1-1) jumped out to a 7-1 lead at the end of the first quarter in their victory over the Explorers (0-1) after dropping a decision to the nationally ranked Seahawks (2-3) in their season opener.

"It's the start of the season, and I approached both games by playing everybody," Brown head coach Felix Mercado said. "We played a nationally ranked team right off the bat to see where we are at. I'm excited. It should be a fun season. Our team is very focused and training really hard. It's just the beginning."

A total of 12 different Bears scored a goal over the course of the day with sophomore Kaitlyn Cook (Los Gatos, Calif.) and freshman Katie Klein (Lafayette, Calif.) leading Brown with three goals apiece. In the cage, junior Lauren Burns (Long Grove, Ill.) and freshman Marley Presiado (Newport Beach, Calif.) combined to make 20 saves between the two games.

Next, Brown continues play at the Bruno Classic tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 2, with match-ups against No. 20 Marist (1:00 p.m.), Cal Lutheran (4:45 p.m.), and St. Francis Brooklyn (8:30 p.m.).

Game 1 – No. 16 Wagner 11, Brown 6

Sophomore Kaitlyn Cook and senior Maigrie McDougal each scored two goals, but Brown fell to No. 16 Wagner 11-6, in its season opener on Friday evening at game one of the Bruno Classic.

Cook (Los Gatos, Calif.) added a team-high three steals to her pair of goals while sophomore Riley Hughes (Evanston, Ill.) and freshman Katie Klein (Lafayette, Calif.) each scored one goal.

Sophomore Carissa Perez (Pico Rivera, Calif.) dished out two assists, and senior McKenna Miller (Danville, Calif.) tallied an assist and three ejections drawn. Freshmen Lili Akin (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Dagmara Czajka (San Diego, Calif.) each finished with two steals and two ejections drawn.

In the cage, junior goalie Lauren Burns (Long Grove, Ill.) made six saves, and freshman net-minder Marley Presiado (Newport Beach, Calif.) stopped four shots.

A goal from McDougal (Sacramento, Calif.) tied the game at 1-1 early in the first quarter before Wagner used a 3-0 run to pull ahead 4-1. Cook stopped the run with a goal at the 2:57 mark before the visitors gained a 5-2 edge at the end of the first frame. Wagner scored the second quarter's only two goals to take a 7-2 advantage at the break.

Cook opened the second half's scoring, pulling the Bears within 7-3 before the Seahawks netted four straight goals to go up 11-3 with 5:26 to play. Klein, Hughes, and McDougal scored the game's final three goals in order.

Wagner 11, Brown 6
Brown....................... 2…0…1…3…6
Wagner..................... 5…2…3…1…11
Brown Goals: Cook 2, McDougal 2, Hughes, Klein.
Brown Saves: Burns 6, Presiado 4.

Game 2 – Brown 14, La Salle 8

Senior Carmen Rosas and freshmen Lili Akin, Katie Klein, and Isabel Riches all scored two goals apiece as Brown beat La Salle, 14-8, on Friday night in game two of the Bruno Classic.

Behind 10 different goal scorers, the Bears held a 7-1 lead at the end of the first quarter, went up 11-4 at halftime and built a lead as large as 13-4 in the third quarter en route to the win over the Explorers.

Akin (Santa Barbara, Calif.) and Klein (Lafayette, Calif.) each added five steals and three ejections drawn apiece to their pair of goals. Riches (Laguna Beach, Calif.) dished out an assist alongside her two goals.

Senior McKenna Miller (Danville, Calif.), sophomores Kaitlyn Cook (Los Gatos, Calif.), Lily Keck (La Jolla, Claif.), Carissa Perez (Pico Rivera, Calif.) and Alli Schaum (San Rafael, Calif.), and freshman Dagmara Czajka (San Diego, Calif.) each scored one goal.

Schaum and Miller each distributed two assists, Keck made two steals, and Miller drew three ejections.

In goal, junior Lauren Burns (Long Grove, Ill.) turned aside seven shots, and freshman Marley Presiado (Newport Beach, Calif.) blocked three shots.

Six different Bears scored in the first quarter as Brown jumped out to a 7-1 lead at the end of the opening stanza. Akin scored twice in the period while Cook, Klein, Keck, Rosas, and Riches each scored once.

After La Salle pulled within 7-4 in the second quarter, the Bears scored the last four goals of the half to take an 11-4 edge at the intermission. Czajka, Rosas, Riches, and Miller netted goals in order to end the frame.

Goals from Perez and Schaum to open the second half extended Brown's lead to 13-4 – its largest margin of the game. The Explorers cut the advantage to 13-7 in the fourth quarter prior to a goal from Klein.

Brown 14, La Salle 8
Brown....................... 7…4…2…1…14
La Salle.................... 1…3…1…3…8
Brown Goals: Akin 2, Klein 2, Riches 2, Rosas 2, Cook, Czajka, Keck, Miller, Perez, Schaum.
Brown Saves: Burns 7, Presiado 3.