Women's Water Polo | 2/5/2026 1:09:00 PM

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The Red Flash is playing in three matches in the VMI Invite, including against Mount St. Mary's on Friday, and VMI and Salem on Saturday.

THE WORD ON MOUNT ST. MARY'S
Mount St. Mary's opened the 2026 season at the Princeton Invitational and enters the weekend 0–3 after facing No. 7 Indiana, Princeton and No. 22 Brown. The Mountaineers saw balanced scoring during opening weekend, led by Lotte Schreurs, who recorded a hat trick against Brown, with Anna Kegel and Lucia Redaelli also contributing offensively. Mount St. Mary's finished the 2025 season with a 14–10 overall record. Rebecca Valentine led the team with 55 goals, while Anita Radaelli (43 goals) and Anna Kegel (45 goals) were also key contributors. In goal, Olivia Fernie totaled 145 saves last season.

LAST TIME WE MET THE MOUNTAINEERS 
Saint Francis last faced Mount St. Mary's on Feb. 8, 2025, earning an 18–12 road win. Caylah Olay paced the Red Flash with five goals, while Sofia Maioriello added four goals in the victory.

THE WORD ON VMI
VMI enters the weekend with a 3–1 record in the 2026 season after opening the year with wins over Whittier, Redlands and La Verne. Sadie Smith has led the Keydets offensively early this season, including a four-goal performance against Whittier, while Sydney Smith, Haley Minnich and Makynna Smith have also contributed multiple goals. In goal, Maddie Day and Ysabel Casillas have split time early this year, combining for multiple key saves during opening weekend. VMI finished the 2025 season with a 9–17 overall record. Sadie Smith led the team with 53 goals last season, followed by Sydney Smith (61 goals) and Sarah Fitzsimmons (48 goals).

LAST TIME WE MET THE KEYDETS
Saint Francis last faced VMI on March 2, 2025, at the Salem Invite, defeating the Keydets 19–11. Kayla Rhoads led the Red Flash with a hat trick in the fourth quarter. Sam Eschleman, Claire Gebhardt, Rhoads, and Lucy Willis each added three goals.

THE WORD ON SALEM
Salem enters the weekend 1–0 on the 2026 season, opening with a 22–10 loss at Villanova. Last season, the Tigers finished 10–19, gaining experience across the schedule. Salem's offense has been paced by key scorers returning from 2025, averaging just over 10 goals per game last season. In their most recent matchup with Saint Francis at the Salem Invite, Salem fell 16–12, with the Red Flash pulling away in the fourth quarter.

LAST TIME WE MET THE TIGERS
Saint Francis last faced Salem on April 12, 2025, at home, defeating the Tigers 19–10. Georgia Ellison and Caylah Olay led the Red Flash with four goals each. Lucia Redaelli added four assists to pace the team. Kayla Rhoads recorded four steals, while Isabel Lumley and Grace Raquel split time in goal, combining for eight saves.

NEW TO THE LO'
Victoria Tamarit, a freshman from Valencia, Spain, brings international experience as a goalie. Laura Knight, a freshman from Auckland, New Zealand, joins the team as a utility player with strong all-around skills. Olivia George, a sophomore from Grand Blanc, Michigan, adds scoring depth and speed as an attacker. Bella Castaneda, a sophomore from Brea, California, is a versatile utility player who can make an impact at multiple positions.

FLASH FOCUS
Caylah Olay is closing in on all-time program records, sitting second in career points (297) and goals (210) while also ranking second in career shots (500) and exclusions drawn (196). Sofia Maioriello has already totaled 34 career assists and continues to be a key playmaker for the Red Flash.

FROM THE DECK
Jay O'Neil enters his ninth season as head coach and is 10 wins shy of 100 career victories at Saint Francis, and six wins shy of 200 career wins overall. He guided the Red Flash to a program-record 14 wins in 2025 and has led multiple players to All-American and all-conference honors. Under his leadership, Saint Francis has finished a program-best fifth in the postseason twice, in 2022 and 2024. O'Neil came to Loretto from Washington & Jefferson, where he earned CWPA Women's Coach of the Year in 2012. A Bucknell graduate, he also served as aquatic director and head varsity swimming coach at Somerset Area High School for 10 years.

NEXT SPLASH
On Feb. 14-15, Saint Francis will face La Salle, Villanova, Bucknell, and Siena in the Bucknell Invite.