George Washington University
vs. Villanova (ECAC Championship)
Women's Water Polo Places Seventh at ECAC Championship
4/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
April 3, 2006
COLLEGE PARK, MD - After dropping its first two contests at the ECAC Championship this past weekend, April 1-2, the George Washington University women's water polo team rallied to post back-to-back victories against Gannon, 8-3, and Villanova, 5-4, in its final two games to finish seventh out of nine teams at the tournament, which was hosted by Maryland. Although the Colonials had their four-match winning streak snapped, they evened their overall record to 10-10 on the season with the pair of wins.
GW, seeded seventh to begin the championship, opened against No. 2 seed Bucknell Saturday morning. The Colonials started strong against the Bison limiting their transition game and forcing turnovers, which led to a 4-2 halftime lead. Three more goals in the third gave GW a 7-4 advantage after three quarters, but Bucknell began to create offensive opportunities for itself in the fourth. The Bison began to chip away at the Colonials' lead and tied the game at 7-7 with 3:34 to play. On its very next possession, Bucknell scored the go-ahead goal and shut down GW the rest of the way. Juniors Morgan Hooker (Woodland Hills, CA) and Jenna Burnett (Lake Forest, CA) each scored two goals to lead GW, while senior Amy Heinemann (N. Miami Beach, FL) made 13 saves in net.
In their second game on Saturday, the Colonials fell 10-4 to No. 6 seed Harvard. The Crimson jumped all over GW and held a 5-1 lead at intermission. Harvard would add two more goals in the third quarter and both teams scored three times in the fourth for the final margin. Sophomore Greta Pedraza (Miami, FL) scored twice to lead GW, while Hooker and sophomore Rebecca Stein (San Diego, CA) each scored once. Heinemann notched 10 saves in goal.
Seven different Colonials scored in their 8-3 victory over No. 9 seed Gannon Sunday morning, which advanced GW to the seventh-place game. Both teams scored once in the opening frame, but the Colonials pulled away with five goals over the next two quarters to take a commanding 6-1 lead. GW scored twice more in the fourth period and its defense was the story in the game, as it never let Gannon find its comfort zone offensively. Freshman Amy Moren (Burbank, CA) scored two goals, while Hooker, Stein, Burnett, and sophomores Erin Bailey (Ann Arbor, MI), Theresa Lamontagne (Bloomfield, CT) and Sarah Stimson (Alamo, CA) each had a goal apiece. Sophomore Julie Jacoby (Coral Gables, FL) made seven stops in net.
In the seventh-place game against No. 8 seed Villanova, the Wildcats jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Bailey scored on a power play. `Nova held a 4-2 advantage at the half. In the second half, GW's defense would step up and keep Villanova off the board. The Colonials would tie the game at 4-4 with 3:52 remaining in the fourth period on a power-play goal from Hooker, and with :39 to play, Hooker added the game-winning score. Villanova had a power play opportunity in the closing seconds, but GW's defense held the Wildcats scoreless.
The Colonials (10-10) return to action when they travel back to College Park, MD, on Wednesday, April 5 to take on the Maryland Terrapins at 7 p.m.
