ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Saint Francis University came up short in a pair of games against nationally-ranked foes on the first day of the 2020 Wolverine Invitational hosted by the University of Michigan at Canham Natatorium. The Red Flash were snuffed by No. 15 Long Beach State University, 22-11, prior to being eclipsed by fellow Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) institution/No. 15 Bucknell University, 10-7, in a non-conference nightcap.
Facing Long Beach State in the day’s opener, the Red Flash held their own in the first quarter to stay even at four-all after the first eight minutes of action. However, LBSU began to pull away in the second quarter to carry an 8-6 lead into halftime.
The 49ers blow the contest open in the third quarter by outscoring Saint Francis 10-3 to snag an 18-9 margin heading into the fourth quarter. The Beach closed out the contest with a 4-2 scoring outburst in the final eight minutes of the contest to collect an 11-goal win via a 22-11 victory.
For Saint Francis, Taylor Halbauer (Fr., Edmonton, Canada/Mother Margaret Mary) led the way with four goals, while Erin O’Neill (Sr., Lansdale, Pa./North Penn) deposited a hat-trick with a trio of tallies. Breanna Dupperon (So., Regina, Canada/Campbell Collegiate), Gabby Garritson (Jr., Houston, Texas/Clear Lake), Abbie Carter (Fr., Abbotsford, Canada/St. John Brebeuf) and Metztli Enriquez (Jr., Atwater, Calif./El Capitan) each found the back of the cage once.
Rosalinda Rivera (So., Hatfield, Pa./North Penn) took the loss with eight saves ad 20 goals allowed, while Haley Sanko (Fr., Drums, Pa./Hazleton) allowed two goals with a save.
Against Bucknell, Saint Francis jumped on the scoreboard first as O’Neill tossed in the opening strike at the 5:39 mark of the first quarter. However, the Bison rallied back to snag a 2-1 lead prior to the close of the frame and never looked back in rolling to a 5-1 lead midway through the second quarter.
The teams traded goals from there as Bucknell claimed a three-score win.
