Orlando Thunder Blue Takes 2019 National State Challenge Boys’ 18U Title Via 23-10 Defeat of Maverick
LANSDALE, Pa. — Touma Mack and Danny Cruz both scored seven times, while Alec Johnson punched in five goals, as Orlando Thunder Blue (Fla.) overwhelmed Maverick (Pa.), 23-10, in the Boys’ 18U title game at the 2019 American Water Polo (AWP) National State Challenge.
Griffin Ewoldt added a pair with Eli Schweitzer and Zeyad Abdelmaged both finding the back of the cage once in support of an eight save victorious effort by goalie Ryan Hopegill.
Orlando Thunder Blue put the game out of reach in the first quarter of play by building leads of 4-0 and 8-1 prior to the conclusion of the opening frame. Trailing 13-5 by halftime, Maverick moved within 16-9 by the close of the third quarter before Orlando Thunder Blue sealed the win with a 7-1 scoring outburst in the fourth quarter for the 23-10 finale.
Walker Butler led Maverick with five goals with Matej Sekulic and Theo Dubay chipping in four and one goal, respectively.
The Boys’ 18U title marks the first for a team from Florida as Navy AC (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013), Coronado (2011), Greenwich Aquatics (2014, 2015, 2016), Vulture (2017) and Chicago Parks District (2018) previously took home the title and a check for $1,000.
Following the conclusion of the title game, the 2019 Boys’ 18U All-Tournament Team was announced:
- Ryan Hopegill (Goalie) – Orlando Thunder Blue
- Touma Mack – Orlando Thunder Blue
- Alec Johnson – Orlando Thunder Blue
- Walker Butler – Maverick
- Matej Sekulic – Maverick
- Paul Ginsbigler – Cumberland Valley
- Jordan McVeagh – Buxmont
Cumberland Valley Snags Third Place in 18U Boys’ with 10-9 Victory Versus Buxmont at 2019 National State Challenge
LANSDALE, Pa. — Valer Jameson made 14 saves as Cumberland Valley (Pa.) overcame Buxmont (Pa.), 10-9, in the Boys’ 18U Third Place game at the 2019 American Water Polo (AWP) National State Challenge.
Competing at North Penn High School, Cumberland Valley raced out to a 4-0 lead by the 4:10 mark of the second quarter on the way to a 5-2 lead at halftime. Buxmont evened the score at five-all with 3:31 to go in the third quarter courtesy a 3-0 scoring run, but CV responded by burying a pair of markers prior to the close of the frame to reacquire the lead at 7-5 heading into the fourth quarter of action.
Buxmont managed to cut its deficit down to one at 7-6 (6:39) and 8-7 (5:58), but Cumberland Valley answered to widen the spread to 10-7 with 3:34 on the clock for enough to hold off a surge in the final 2:30 to take a one-goal victory.
For CV, Paul Gensbigler scored five times with Chris Furlong (two), Jake Klingenberg (one), Ben Orr (one) and Naeem Sbaiti (one) also putting away shots.
Jake Caulfield took the loss for Buxmont with six saves, while the quintet of Jorden McVeagh (three), Ben Gerhard (three), Chris Scoboria (one), David Meinhold (one) and Kristian Stanczewski (one) accounted for their team’s scoring.
Team Chicago Edges Tiger Water Polo, 7-6, in Overtime to Collect Fifth Place in 18U Boys’ at 2019 National State Challenge
LANSDALE, Pa. — Matt Wagonblott made 12 saves and Michael Reiter finished with three goals, including the game-winner with 4:20 left in the first overtime frame, as Team Chicago (Ill.) slipped past Tiger Water Polo (Pa.), 7-6 OT, in the Boys’ 18U Fifth Place game at the 2019 American Water Polo (AWP) National State Challenge.
Leading 3-1 with 4:39 left in the second quarter, Team Chicago saw its margin evaporate into a 5-3 deficit heading into the fourth quarter as Tiger Water Polo pulled even at three-all by halftime and punched in a pair of strikes during the third quarter.
Team Chicago rallied back in the final quarter of regulation as Dan Adamson (6:24) and Reiter (3:08) rifled in shots to knot the score at five-all. Tiger Water Polo went back ahead at 6-5 via a scoring volley by Ben Phillips at 2:08, but Reiter posted the equalizer exactly one minute later at 1:08 to force overtime and set the stage for his deciding heroics.
Adamson joined Reiter in posting hat-tricks, while Ruairi Murphy deposited a solo score.
Across the tank, Phillips found the back of the cage four times to accompany a pair of points by David Lomakin. Jacob Hollo took the loss with 21 saves.
Swim RVA Stops Cardinal, 11-4, to Take Ninth Place in 18U Boys’ at 2019 National State Challenge
AMBLER, Pa. — Swim RVA (Va.) used a 6-1 outburst in the second quarter to outdistance Cardinal (Pa.) on the way to an 11-4 victory in the Boys’ 18U Ninth Place game at the 2019 American Water Polo (AWP) National State Challenge.
Trailing 1-0 with 6:17 remaining in the first quarter, Swim RVA knotted the score at one-all before the conclusion of the opening frame. The squad then took command of the contest by ripping off five more tallies to push ahead by a 6-1 count on the way to a 7-2 halftime margin.
Following intermission, Swim RVA continued to pull away by outscoring Cardinal 2-1 in both the third and fourth quarters to notch the seven-goal victory.
Ethan Miller and Brett Sill powered the Swim RVA attack with four and three goals, respectively, while Matthew Karman, Matthew Gibellato, Kiley Sill and Noah Korver each chipped in solo markers. Danilo Lemaic stopped four shots to earn the win between the pipes.
For Cardinal, Ben Rosenthal scored twice to lead the way. Jacob Robinson made 11 saves in cage.
La Salle Manages Orlando Thunder White, 12-2, to Place Seventh in Boys’ 18U Competition at National State Challenge
LANSDALE, Pa. — Goale Matthew Sherry made 10 saves as La Salle (Pa.) took down Orlando Thunder White (Fla.) by a 12-2 score in the Boys’ 18U Seventh Place game at the 2019 American Water Polo (AWP) National State Challenge.
La Salle never trailed in the game as the team led 4-0, 7-0 and 9-1 at the conclusion of the first, second and third quarters, respectively, on the way to a 10-goal win.
Liam McFadden accounted for four markers, while Ryan McLaughlin added three tallies. August Blatney (two), Craig Wyke (one), Sean McManus (one) and Jimmy O’Malley (one) also found the back of the cage for La Salle.
Cody Hrynyk took the loss for Orlando Thunder White with 11 saves, while Ryan Fullerton accounted for both of his team’s strikes.
Cumberland Valley Dethrones Windy City, 19-6, to Take 2019 National State Challenge Girls’ 18U Title
LANSDALE, Pa. — Aliza Smith and Kamryn Barone both scored five times, while Maddie Grove added four markers, as Cumberland Valley (Pa.) picked up a 19-6 victory over defending champion Windy City (Ill.) to take home the 2019 American Water Polo (AWP) National State Challenge crown and a check for $1,000.
It marks the inaugural NSC title for Cumberland Valley as the team joins Navy AC (2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014), Carlsbad Neutrinos (2011), Greenwich Aquatics (2015, 2016, 2017) and Windy City (2018) in the litany of the nation’s best 18U teams.
CV wasted little time in making its title intentions known as the squad pumped in five strikes in the game’s opening 3:42 on the way to an 8-1 lead by the close of the first quarter. Trailing 10-4 by halftime, Windy City was unable to close to less than five goals (10-5) over Cumberland Valley for the remainder of the game as the margin grew to seven (13-6) by the close of the third quarter. CV closed out the dominating victory by rattling off six strikes in the fourth quarter to claim a 13-goal title game win.
Camille Kent and Lexi Forsyth both accounted for pairs of goals in CV’s win, while Kinsey Coomes tacked on a solo score. Starting goalie Mikaela Wolf (three saves) and Ava Smith (one save) combined for four stops in cage.
For Windy City, Kassy Rodriguez posted a hat-trick with three goals. Xonhane Medina (two) and Tatum Burek (one) accounted for the other half of their team’s scoring in support of a seven save performance by goalie Peyton Nufer.
Following the title game, the Girls’ 18U All-Tournament Team was announced:
- Peyton Nufer (Goalie) – Windy City
- Kassy Rodriguez – Windy City
- Xonhane Medina – Windy City
- Aliza Smith – Cumberland Valley
- Kamryn Barone – Cumberland Valley
- Camille Kent – Cumberland Valley
- Sarah Koehler – Tiger Water Polo
- Becca Valentine – Wissahickon
North Penn Drops Wilson, 8-3, in Girls’ 18U Fifth Place Game at 2019 National State Challenge
LANSDALE, Pa. — Goalie Caroline Dunigan made 15 saves as North Penn (Pa.) stymied Wilson (Pa.), 8-3, in the Girls’ 18U Fifth Place game at the 2019 American Water Polo (AWP) National State Challenge.
Competing at home in North Penn High School’s pool, the victors did not trail Wilson throughout the entirety of the game as North Penn used a 2-0 scoring spurt in the second quarter to snag a 4-2 halftime lead. Following another a pair of markers in the third quarter to widen the margin on the scoreboard to 6-2, North Penn closed out the game by outscoring Wilson 2-1 over the game’s final minutes to take a five-goal win.
Grace McLaughlin led North Penn with three goals as six different players deposited scores.
Across the tank, Hannah Stambaugh made six saves for Wilson.
Wissahickon Defends Home Water in Prevailing Over Tiger Water Polo, 13-7, to Take Girls’ 18U Third Place Game at 2019 National State Challenge
AMBLER, Pa. — Maggie Krieger flushed five goals and Chloe Lovensheimer tacked on four more as Wissahickon (Pa.) held off Tiger Water Polo (Pa.), 13-7, in the Girls’ 18U Third Place game on the final day of the 2019 American Water Polo (AWP) National State Challenge.
Competing at Wissahickon High School’s aquatics facility, the winners never trailed in holding 4-3, 7-5 and 12-5 leads at the conclusion of the first, second and third quarters, respectively.
Becca Valentine added three goals for Wissahickon with Jaclyn Staub punching in a solo marker. Goalie Paige Benning stopped 13 shots in earning the win.
For Tiger Water Polo, Marissa Dorman made eight saves with Sarah Koehler scoring three times to lead the offense.
Orlando Thunder Tackles Cardinal, 9-7, in Girls’ 18U Seventh Place Game at 2019 National State Challenge
AMBLER, Pa. — Krystyna Jolley made 10 saves as Orlando Thunder (Fla.) turned back Cardinal (Pa.), 9-7, in the Girls’ 18U Seventh Place game at the 2019 American Water Polo (AWP) National State Challenge.
Orlando Thunder boomed out to a 5-0 lead with 1:17 left in the second quarter at Wissahickon High School to hand Cardinal a deficit from which it could not recover over the remainder of the contest.
Trailing 7-1 with 2:08 remaining in the third quarter, Cardinal made it interesting down the stretch by inching within 8-4 at the 2:58 mark of the fourth quarter. The squad continued to narrow the gap between the two programs by chipping its deficit down to 8-6 with 1:16 on the clock. However, Orlando Thunder posted another goal at 1:01 for insurance to make it 9-6 before Cardinal buried the final blow with 41 seconds left for the 9-7 score.
For Orlando Thunder, Sofia Dahlmann connected on five shots to lead the way.
Jasmine Thek took the loss for Cardinal with four saves.
Rebel Polo Overcomes Pennridge, 9-8 OT, in Girls’ 18U Ninth Place Game at 2019 National State Challenge
AMBLER, Pa. — Juliana Kelcy scored eight times, including the game-winner in overtime with 16 seconds remaining in the first sudden victory frame, as Rebel Polo (Pa.) tripped Pennridge (Pa.), 9-8 OT, for Ninth Place in Girls’ 18U action at the 2019 American Water Polo (AWP) National State Challenge.
Competing at Wissahickon High School, Rebel Polo needed to overcome an early deficit as the team fell behind 4-1 with 1:30 left in the second quarter. The team rallied back to move within a pair at 4-2 by halftime before rattling the iron with back-to-back markers at the 5:17 and 2:14 marks of the third quarter to knot the score at four-all.
Pennridge countered by pumping in goals at 2:05 and 1:26, but Rebel Polo revolted to rip off a pair of its own at 1:13 and five seconds to once again square the squads at six-all.
However, Pennridge regained the lead before the close of the third quarter by bombing in a shot with one tick on the clock. The margin grew to 8-6 with 3:29 left in the fourth quarter to place Rebel Polo in a precarious position.
Kelcy started another comeback for Rebel Polo as she slipped in a shot with 1:54 left before Anna Goodman balanced the scoreboard at eight-all with 40 seconds later at 1:14. Neither team was able to find the back of the cage again until Kelcy stroked in the decider with 16 seconds left in the first OT period as Rebel Polo escaped with a 9-8 victory.
For Rebel Polo, Kelcy and Goodman accounted for all of their team’s offense. Lindsey McMackin earned the win by making one save in overtime.
Megan Weiss and Sam Darrell led Pennridge with three and two goals, respectively. In cage, Hannah Keyser made two saves in the first half before Maddie Maloney came on to stop one shot.
Princeton Finishes 2019 National State Challenge by Doubling North Penn, 10-5, in 14U Game 10
LANSDALE, Pa. — Princeton (N.J.) received scoring from four different players to double North Penn (Pa.), 10-5, in the 10th and final 14U game during the 2019 National State Challenge.
Playing at North Penn High School, Princeton constructed a 3-0 margin with 3:17 left in the first quarter to put North Penn behind for the entirety of the contest.
North Penn rallied back to close within 3-2 by the conclusion of the first quarter, but Princeton found the back of the cage with a shot at the 5:34 mark of the second quarter to expand its lead to 4-2 heading into halftime.
Princeton put the contest out of reach in the third quarter as a five goal outburst made it 9-2 with 2:51 on the clock before North Penn terminated a six-goal run by their foes to move within 9-3.
North Penn continued to chip away at its deficit in the fourth quarter as back-to-back markers at 4:09 and 3:27 narrowed the score to 9-5 before Princeton delivered the final blow at 1:18 for the 10-5 final score.
Overall, Princeton finishes 2-2 in 14U competition with losses to Swim RVA (Va.) (15-7 L) and Maverick (Pa.) (19-11 L) with defeats of Brooklyn Hustle (N.Y.) (12-7 W) and North Penn.
North Penn wraps-up the National State Challenge with an 0-3-1 mark as the team fell to Princeton, Swim RVA (28-8 L) and Brooklyn Hustle (11-8 L) with a tie against Maverick (7-7 T).