Only one sports team at Marist College could start its season in one weekend with four games, two of them against teams in the top-20 nationally, and one taking four overtimes to finish.
The women's water polo team traveled to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and they went 2-2 in the Michigan Kick-off Tournament. On January 27, the Foxes dropped their first contest to the 13th-ranked Wolverines, 12-5, before outlasting Colorado State 7-6 in four overtimes. The next day, Marist beat up on the University of California-Santa Cruz, 10-3, and then nearly upset number 20 Indiana, but lost 7-5.
These games excited head coach, Andrew Silva, who saw great winning potential for his team this year.
"We showed lots of heart this weekend, especially going to four overtimes against Colorado State and coming back against Indiana," he said. The Foxes' comeback against Indiana saw the Red Fox draw as close as one goal after going down 4-0 in the first quarter. From that point on, the girls kept it close, almost tying the game at six with 2:30 to go. "That was the story of most of the weekend. We had open shots that just weren't falling. That was almost expected though, and hopefully as the season continues those shots will begin to fall for us."
This tournament came just two weeks into school. The girls only had nine practices before these games while the big programs like Michigan came back to school two weeks early and have already had 25-30 practices. Not only were the Foxes out-practiced, but also out-experienced with a newly expanded roster including 12 freshmen.
"With these young players that want to prove themselves, practices are now more competitive. In addition to our core veterans, we have a lot more depth," Silva said. "The effort was great. For a young group to go out there and not show any fear and have such poise and confidence was very good."
Even with all the new young guns, it was a few returning players from the only MAAC Championship team in school history who played major roles this past weekend. Junior goalie and co-captain, Elizabeth Davis, was stellar, stopping 13, 12, 6, and 13 shots in each game, respectively. According to Silva, that kind of play lets the team play the style they enjoy.
2008 Woodie Awards