Courtesy: Siena Athletics
Siena Water Polo (0-2) fell in its 2021 road opener Saturday morning, but did not go out without a fight. The Saints dropped a tightly contested, back-and-forth affair to MAAC foe VMI (4-7), 16-13, at Clark King Pool in Lexington, Virginia.
Siena stayed competitive with the Keydets during the entire match, and started things off with a 2-1 lead after a period of play. Senior Kristen Burger and junior Georgia Vargas got the Saints on the board in the first, with Vargas registering her first hat trick of the season in the first half. VMI out-scored the Saints, 5-4 in the second quarter to knot the match at 6 at the half, with Siena sophomore goalkeeper Anna Mossakowski totaling eight saves in the first half.
Led by a six-goal performance from McKenna Inset, the home team held a 5-3 advantage in goals in the third period, holding a 10-7 lead before back-to-back scores from junior Bianca Prinsloo brought it back to a one-goal game. Five more VMI goals put the match away in the final period, with two of the last three goals going to the dark caps.
Led by a five-goal day from Vargas, Siena also got hat tricks from Prinsloo and sophomore Grace Boeve, who each did so for the first time this season. Burger added a pair of goals, while Mossakowski totaled nine saves and three steals in-net.
Siena’s next chance to pick up its first win of the season will come on Saturday, April 10, when it travels to face Iona at 1 PM.