FORT GREENE, BROOKLYN. Favorable scheduling this weekend will reward local water polo fans. Five women’s water polo teams from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s (MAAC)—half of the conference total—will be in action this weekend at Long Island University’s Steinberg Wellness Center pool.

The stakes are high for the last weekend of play before the MAAC Championships decides which squad will qualify for the 2023 NCAA Women’s Water Polo Tournament. Wagner and host LIU hope to solidify their hold on the top two spots in the Red Division while LaSalle, Villanova and Virginia Military Institute (VMI) will battle for their bracket’s final postseason berth.

The LIU Sharks (17-11; 8-2 MAAC) will open their doors on both Saturday and Sunday to four rivals from the MAAC’s Red Division. Headlining the group is Wagner (27-6; 10-0 MAAC). Ranked #16 (tied) in the latest Collegiate Water Polo Association’s women’s poll, the Seahawks have captured six of the last seven MAAC titles. The only times in the last nine years that Wagner hasn’t won—and captured the conference’s automatic NCAA berth—is 2020, when the season was cancelled due to the pandemic, and 2021, when Wagner chose to sit out due to Covid-19 concerns.

The second place Sharks and the Seahawks, who have not lost a MAAC match in the water since April 11, 2015—a span of 87 regular season and postseason matches—will conclude conference play on Sunday at 1:15pm. The LIU women’s program, in its fourth year of competition, has supplanted Marist, currently leading the MAAC’s Blue Division, as Wagner’s primary conference threat. But not so much; in four attempts the Sharks have never beaten the Seahawks, including last year’s championship final, a 18-7 Wagner demolition.

Playing in front of a home crowd on Senior Day, LIU’s Elena Camarena believes that she and her teammates can snap the Seahawk streak and register the biggest victory in program history.

“It’s always exciting to play good games against good teams,” the junior striker from Madrid said. “[Sunday] is a great opportunity to beat them at home—I hope there’s a lot of people cheering for us.”

History may be on the host’s side. Almost a year ago to the day LIU gave the MAAC terrors a scare; Wagner escaped with a narrow 12-10 victory, also on the last day of regular season play. Camarena, who is one of the Sharks’ most potent scoring threats, hopes that LIU will end two streaks on Sunday: her team’s winless record against Wagner and the Seahawks’ amazing run against conference foes.

“It would be really great to beat them this weekend—one of the last [matches] for our seniors,” Camarena added. “We’re more than ready to have a good game against them.”

The three other teams in the water this weekend have a lot to play for. Wagner and LIU have already clinched postseason berth, leaving one spot for LaSalle (14-14; 4-6 MAAC), Villanova (14-17; 4-7 MAAC) to fight over. VMI (3-16), winless in conference play (0-7), can play spoiler against either the Explorers or the Wildcats.

Schedule this weekend:

Saturday, April 15:
10:00am: Wagner vs. Villanova
12:00pm: LIU vs. La Salle
2:00pm: Wagner vs. VMI
4:00pm: Villanova vs. VMI
6:00pm: LIU vs. VMI

Sunday, April 16:
11:00am: LaSalle vs. VMI
1:15pm: LIU vs Wagner

Admission is free; seating is limited. For more information contact LIU Athletics (zachary.dethomasis@liu.edu). Select matches will be broadcast on ESPN+; check local TV listings.

The 2023 MAAC Water Polo Championship will be held April 28-30 at Marist College. Three teams from each of the two MAAC Divisions will compete for an NCAA berth, with the championship final to be held Sunday, April 30.