STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Looking to finish the 2015 campaign on a high note, the VMI water polo team accomplished the feat with two wins Sunday in Staten Island, New York.
The Keydets topped St. Francis College, 13-5, in the 10:30 a.m. matchup before defeating Siena College by an 11-9 tally in the afternoon. Sunday's games were played at Wagner College with Saturday's pair being played at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York, where the Keydets fell to No. 19 Wagner and a tough host in Iona.
"We played with good intensity today and it was great to end the season with a pair of wins," said VMI head coach Ryan Pryor. "It was also a fitting end to the careers of our senior class, the first class in VMI water polo history. Thank you to the seniors who have been here since the program began and have made the program what it is today. Their leadership and example will be missed."
Reversing the trend from Saturday's matches, the Keydets jumped ahead early in both games Sunday to defeat their opponents. Against the Terriers, VMI pulled ahead to a 5-2 tally after one period and earned a commanding 10-2 lead after scoring five unanswered goals in the second.
Freshman Natalie Rivas scored first for the Keydets 23 seconds into the game before freshman Shelby Barkley scored two consecutive goals minutes later for a quick 3-0 lead. After a St. Francis goal, senior Mackenzie Perkins scored two straight goals to keep the momentum going in favor of the Keydets.
Barkley and Rivas scored again early in the second period before Cecilya Lundy put two goals in. Barkley added her fourth goal to give VMI's its 10th goal of the half. She would add another score in the fourth quarter, marking her fifth time this year that she has scored five or more goals in a single game.
The Keydets outshot the Terriers by a 22-14 margin, but struggled to convert on powerplay opportunities, going just 1-9 in the morning. Barkley led the attack with seven shot attempts to Perkins' four and Lundy's three. Lundy and Perkins finished the game with three goals apiece while senior Celine Lazzaro tallied two assists.
VMI's Emily Farsakian earned the win in the cage with two saves in a complete game while St. Francis' Melanie Brooks was given the loss with three saves to her credit.
vs. Siena
Although the Saints earned a quick lead with a goal by Stephanie Bundas, Keydets Rivas and Rebecca Serrano responded with a pair of goals to pull VMI ahead, 2-1, after one quarter of play.
VMI received a scare in the second quarter as it allowed four Siena goals while scoring two themselves in the second period to go into the break with a 5-4 deficit. Bailey Huddleston and Rivas scored the Keydets' two goals in the frame.
The Keydets responded strongly in the third quarter by breaking it open with six goals while allowing only one from the Saints. Perkins scored first for VMI followed by scores from Lundy, Barkley, Sophia DelBondio and Serrano.
Siena would score three goals in the fourth quarter in an attempted comeback, but Huddleston provided the Keydets a security goal in the final moments to ensure a Keydet victory.
VMI again outshot its opponent, this time by a 32-19 ratio and had just three exclusions to Siena's six. The Keydets were successful in three of the six resulting powerplay opportunities while Siena went 1-3.
Farsakian earned her second win of the day while Siena's Madeline Hurley had the attached loss despite saving 12 Keydet shot attempts. Farsakian logged two saves for the game.
