POUGHKEEPSIE, NY- The #16 ranked Hartwick women's water polo team kicked off its 2013 season on Saturday afternoon against Marist. The Hawks trailed early in the first quarter but rattled off five straight goals on their way to a 13-4 win at McCann Natatorium.
Sami Capparelli (Miami, FL) led the Hawks with four goals on the day.
Britt Tait (Kairong, Australia),
Jemma Dendy Young (Cape Town, South Africa), and
Laura Kuzma (Saline, MI) all scored twice.
Katie Ermakova (Columbia, MD),
Natalie Seabourn (Auckland, New Zealand), and
Sasha Freeborn (Auckland, New Zealand) all tallied one goal.
Haley Cox (El Segundo, CA) had 10 saves in goal.
Jessica Hamby led the Red Foxes with two goals. Yuriria Chavez and Robyn Crabtree also scored. Rebecca Thomas stopped 12 shots in goal and added four steals.
Marist struck quickly as it scored on a transition goal just 31 seconds into the game. Crabtree made a steal in the defensive end and Anna-Lena Hathaway charged the net where she found an open Hamby who lobbed a shot over Cox and inside the far post for the score.
It would be the only time that the Hawks trailed in the game as they scored four straight times to take a 4-1 lead after one quarter of play. Seabourn would knot the game up at one-all and then Ermakova followed with her first goal as a Hawk to put Hartwick ahead 2-1. Dendy Young and Tait would both add goals in the quarter.
In the second quarter, Capparelli's second goal of the afternoon gave 'Wick a 5-1 lead. It was the only scoring in the quarter as both teams played tough defense.
The Red Foxes would chip away at the Hawk lead in the third quarter. Chavez scored on a man-up situation to make it a 5-2 contest. However, Hartwick would score five straight times to open up a 10-2 lead.
The Hawks added three goals in the final quarter as Marist could not mount a comeback. The Red Foxes added two goals in the final frame with Hamby scoring on a five-meter penalty shot and Crabtree scoring with 1:10 left to play on a loose ball in front of the goal.
Hartwick will head to the west coast to compete in the University of Pacific Invitational next weekend. The Hawks will face Azusa Pacific University at 10:30 a.m. local time on Saturday followed by a match with Cal State East Bay at 1:30 p.m. Hartwick will conclude the Invitational with a 7 p.m. game with the host Tigers.
