CHICAGO, Ill. — American Water Polo is hosting the 2018 National State Challenge featuring Boys’ 18U and Girls’ 18U competition at Lyons Township Pool and Fenwick High School near Chicago.
18U BOYS
Chicago Parks White Doubles Up Lyons, 14-7, in Final Game of Boys’ 18U Bracket G at 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — Chicago Parks White scored six goals from the start of the second quarter until the 5:11 mark of the third quarter to build a 9-3 lead which Lyons was unable to overcome in a 14-7 victory in the final game of Boys’ 18U Bracket G competition at the National State Challenge.
Competing at Fenwick High School. Chicago Parks White wrapped up an undefeated run in Bracket G as the team previously topped Bluff City (15-7 W) and carried over a 13-5 victory against the Pittsburgh Tigers from a 2-0 record in Bracket D.
Chicago Parks White, which will face Windy City at 2:00 p.m. Central on Sunday, July 15, for the Boys 18U title and a check for $1,000, trailed by counts of 1-0 and 2-1 in the early going against Lyons prior to finding its way to a seven-goal victory.
Leading 7-3 after the first half, Chicago Parks White built its lead to 9-3 with 5:11 on the clock. The teams exchanged goals over remainder of the third quarter to make it 11-5 going into the fourth quarter.
Three goals (6:43, 5:03, 3:41) to start the final frame expanded Chicago Parks White’s lead to 14-5 prior to Lyons putting away scores with 2:39 and 12 seconds remaining for the 14-7 final score.
For Chicago Parks White, Zach Fischer and Victor Perez both scored four times with Rodrigo Gonzalez, Sebastian Perez, Ramses Flores, Jose Servin, Arturo Magana and Aiden Cawley contributing solo tallies.
Lian Malas led the way for Lyons with four goals with Bobby Bolan (two) and Eric Markey (one) rounding out the offense. Lyons will wrap-up its weekend at 9:00 a.m. on July 15 at Fenwick against Chicago Parks Green in the Seventh Place game.
Pittsburgh Tigers Deal Bluff City 10-6 Loss to Claim Boys 18U Third Place Game Berth at 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — The Pittsburgh Tigers ran out to leads of 2-0 and 5-0 by the end of the first and second quarters to top Bluff City, 10-6, in Boys’ 18U Bracket G competition at Fenwick High School on the third day of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Leading 5-1 at the break, Pittsburgh managed to stay in front for good by outscoring Bluff City 3-2 in the third quarter prior to their foes pulling within four by the final horn with a 3-2 outburst of their own in the fourth quarter.
Tan Kocyildirim led the way for Pittsburgh with five goals. David Lomakin (two), Benjamin Phillips (one), Tristan Ascanio (one) and Max Moore (one) combined to rate as his equal on offense as the quartet combined for five scores.
Joe Addison (three), Arman Abdul (one), Carter Phelan (one) and Zach Ryan (one) accounted for Bluff City’s six goals.
Due to the results, Pittsburgh improves to 2-1 in Bracket G play with Bluff City falling to 1-2.
Chicago Parks White (2-0), which holds a 13-5 victory over Pittsburgh from Bracket D competition, and Lyons (0-2) are the last two teams to compete in Bracket G guaranteeing that Chicago Parks White wins Bracket G and will face Bracket F champion Windy City at 2:00 p.m. Central on Sunday, July 15, for the 18U Boys’ title. Lyons, which would lose a tiebreaker against Bluff City due to a 7-6 loss in Bracket C play if they defeat Chicago Parks White, will compete in the Seventh Place game versus Chicago Parks Green at 9:00 a.m. Further, Bluff City meets Vulture at 10:00 a.m for Fifth Place and Pittsburgh squares off with LAW at Noon for Third Place.
New Trier Hooks Cincy Marlins, 12-8, in Bracket E at 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — Peter Caldwell scored four times, while Matthew Kirby and Kim Youngwon both notched hat-tricks, as New Trier stopped the Cincy Marlins, 12-8, in Boys’ 18U Bracket E competition at the 2018 National State Challenge.
New Trier and the Cincy Marlins are competing in a round-robin series with Saint Charles and Palos Orland to determine the final order of standing at positions No. 9-to-12 in the 12-team National State Challenge 18U bracket.
New Trier never trailed in the game by opening up a 3-1 lead by the end of the first quarter and pushing the margin to 7-2 by halftime. Down by six at 8-2 moments into the third quarter, Cincy inched back within four by pulling to within 9-5 and 10-6 prior to the commencement of the fourth quarter.
The Marlins continued to chip away at their deficit by closing within 10-7 prior to back-to-back New Trier goals widening the gap back to five at 12-7. One final marker by Cincy set the scoreboard at 12-8 before the final horn.
Thomas Chookaszian and Carter Walsh both notched solo strikes in New Trier’s winning effort.
On the other end of the pool, Matthew Marks (three), Porter Bausch (two), Kirk Karbowsky (two) and George Perry (one) combined for the Cincy Marlins’ eight goals.
Saint Charles Falters Versus Palos Orland, 13-1, in Bracket E Competition at 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — Palos Orland built leads of 8-0, 11-0 and 13-0 by the conclusion of the first, second and third quarters, respectively, as the program defeated Saint Charles in Boys’ 18U Bracket E play at the 2018 National State Challenge hosted at Fenwick High School.
Jan Urbas, Sean Harlin and Mike Rzeszowicz each scored hat-tricks for Palos Orland, while James Jenkot and Eddie Howaniec chippd in pairs of goals.
Gavin Garcia netted Saint Charles’ lone goal with 2:17 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Windy City Blows Away Chicago Parks Green, 15-6, to Reach 2018 National State Challenge Boys’ 18U Championship Game
OAK PARK, Ill. — The quartet of Pete Buinaukas, Michael Feeley, Payton Comstock and Nate Fisher each posted hat-tricks with trios of tallies as Windy City topped Chicago Parks Green, 15-6, to remain undefeated in Boys’ 18U action at the 2018 National State Challenge.
The victors of Bracket B with a 12-11 victory over LAW and an 18-6 handling of the Cincy Marlins, Windy City rolled through Bracket F by turning aside Vulture (15-10 W) and Chicago Parks Green to raise its record at the 2018 National State Challenge to 4-0.
Due to the win, Windy City punches its ticket to the 2:00 p.m. Boys’ 18U title game against the top finisher from Bracket G with bragging rights and a $1,000 check on the line.
Windy City wasted little time in acquiring the lead against Chicago Parks Green as the team ripped off a 5-0 scoring spurt by the 1:29 mark of the first quarter, carried a 6-1 lead into the second frame and went back to its corner with a 9-3 scoreboard advantage by halftime.
Leading by nine goals at 13-4 after a 4-1 outburst in the third quarter, Windy City closed out the game by keeping pace with Chicago Parks Green in the fourth quarter as both teams deposited pairs of tallies in establishing the 15-6 final score.
Besides the quartet of hat-tricks, Windy City received solo markers from Wil Gorski, Alec Figus and Dan Lynch.
Spencer Ryan led the way for Chicago Parks Green with three goals, while Antonio Durns (two) and Abdelhamed Shaban (one) also found the back of the cage.
The loss drops Chicago Parks Green into the championship tournament’s Seventh Place game as the squad will take on the Fourth Place finisher from Bracket G. Game time is set for 9:00 a.m. Central on Sunday, July 15.
LAW Edges Vulture, 9-8, to Punch Ticket to Third Place Game on Third Day of 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — In a back-and-forth game which saw both squads hold leads of two goals or more in the second half, LAW came out the victor by outscoring Vulture 3-2 in the fourth quarter to claim a 9-8 victory in Boys’ 18U action at Fenwick High School.
Tied at three-all coming out of halftime, Vulture appeared poised to dominate the remainder of the contest as Luke Klein-Collins (6:21, penalty shot), Sean Stablein (4:26, natural) and Bender Russo (2:26, natural) ticked off three consecutive scores to stake their team to a 6-3 lead.
However, LAW returned the favor as Jacob Fin (2:10, one second) and Ben O’Connell (1:10) dropped in three straight scores prior to the conclusion of the third quarter to deadlock the squads at six-all entering the final frame.
LAW continued its offensive streak in the dawning moments of the fourth quarter as Fin (6:27) and Adam Hudson (4:49) staked their team to its first lead since holding a 2-1 advantage on the scoreboard with 2:54 left in the opening period.
Klein-Collins erased the lead, however, by burying chances with 2:19 and 49 seconds left on the clock to knot the squads at eight-all.
But, Noah Schor played hero in connecting on the deciding blow with 32 seconds left to help LAW escape Vulture and claim a 9-8 victory.
For LAW, FIn netted a hat-trick with three goals, while Hudson and Lucas Verilli both chipped in pairs. Schor and O’Connell each tickled the twine once as the team locked up the No. 2 position in Bracket F.
Although LAW is undefeated against the other two teams in the grouping (Vulture, Chicago Parks Green), the team’s 12-11 loss to Windy City on Day One competition from Thursday, July 12, factors into the Bracket F standings. Windy City – which is currently 2-0 with a previous 15-10 win against Vulture combining with the earlier defeat of LAW – still has to play Chicago Parks Green but will win Bracket F with either a win or loss. A win places Windy City at 3-0, while a loss places the team at 2-1 – the same record as LAW. LAW’s earlier loss to Windy City will serve as the tiebreaker with Windy City advancing to the title tilt at 2:00 p.m. and LAW competing in the Third Place game at Noon on Sunday, July 15.
Klein-Collins led the way for Vulture with five goals, while Stablein (two) and Russo (one) accounted for the remainder of their team’s scoring.
Similar to LAW and Windy City, Vulture’s future is already known as the team will compete in the Fifth Place game at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 15. Vulture, which is 1-2 in the placement bracket with a 16-5 win over Chicago Parks Green carrying over from Bracket A competition, can finish no lower than Third Place in Bracket F irregardless of the outcome from the Chicago Parks Green-vs.-Windy City game. A win by Chicago Parks Green raises the squad’s record to 1-2 (similar to Vulture), but Vulture’s earlier win over Chicago Parks Green will serve as the ultimate tiebreaker and drop Chicago Parks Green into the Seventh Place game at 9:00 a.m. on July 15.
Pittsburgh Tigers Turn Back Lyons for 9-6 Win on Third Day of 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — Tan Kocyildirim scored five times, including pairs in the first and third quarters, as the Pittsburgh Tigers topped Lyons by a 9-6 count in Boys’ 18U competition at Fenwick High School on the third day of the 2018 American Water Polo (AWP) National State Challenge.
The win, which evens Pittsburgh’s record at 1-1 in Bracket G with Bluff City, Lyons and Chicago Parks District White as the Tigers’ 13-5 loss to CPD White carries over into calculating the win/loss records for the Bracket G teams in allocating spots to the First, Third, Fifth and Seventh Place games, means the Tigers can finish no lower than the Fifth Place game from here on out.
Down 1-0 with 4:51 left in the first quarter, Pittsburgh rifled home back-to-back scores by Kocyildirim with 2:02 and 29 seconds left on the clock to go in front to stay at 2-1.
The margin stayed at one going into halftime as the Tigers and Lyons both scored once to set the scoreboard at 3-2 at the midway point.
Both squads netted markers to start the third quarter as the board flipped from 4-2 to 4-3 in a back-and-forth affair. However, back-to-back-to-back blasts by the Tigers would prove to be the difference as Pittsburgh pushed ahead 7-3.
Lyons refused to go silently, however, as the squad drilled in a shot before the closing horn of the third quarter to inch within 7-4. Consecutive tallies with 5:44 and 4:19 to go in the fourth quarter helped Lyons catch the Tigers by the tail to once again make it a one-score contest at 7-6.
The Tigers refused to turn tail, however, as Kocyildirim (2:09) and Andrew Ziegler (1:30) padded the final margin out to 9-6 by finding the back of the cage within 39 seconds.
For Lyons, Martin Brown and Bobby Bolan both scored twice, while Eric Markey and Lian Malas contributed solo strikes.
Chicago Parks White Does Not Fold Against Bluff City in Taking 15-7 Victory on Third Day of 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — Victor Perez scored eight times, including five markers in the first half, as Chicago Parks White dropped Bluff City, 15-7, at Fenwick High School in the opening game of Boys’ 18U competition on Day 3 of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Trailing 1-0 with 5:29 left in the first quarter, Bluff City appeared poised to bury Chicago Parks White under an offensive avalanche as Bluff rattled off three consecutive strikes to acquire a 3-1 lead.
However, the tides turned in the second quarter as Chicago Parks White moved within 3-2, fell behind 4-2 and then pounded the Bluff City cage with seven consecutive strikes to grab a 9-4 lead by halftime.
The teams traded scoring shots in the third quarter as Chicago Parks White capped off a nine score run to push ahead 11-4 prior to Bluff City putting away back-to-back chances in the waning moments of the frame to inch back within five at 11-6.
Chicago Parks White further insulated its lead in the fourth quarter as the squad outscored Bluff City by a 4-1 count to acquire a 15-7 victory.
For Chicago Parks White, Cal Jacquez (three) and Jose Servin (two) joined Perez in posting multi-score games.
Nobel McMaster led the way for Bluff City with a hat-trick. Joe Addison chipped in a pair with Hall Squiers and Arman Abdul each finding the twine once.
18U GIRLS
Bluff City Trips LAW, 12-9, in First 9th-11th Place Round Robin Game in Girls’ 18U Action at 2018 National State Challenge
WARREN SPRINGS, Ill. — Erin Haff fired four balls into the cage in leading eight Bluff City scorers in a 12-9 defeat of LAW in the concluding women’s game on Day 3 of the 2018 National State Challenge.
The first of three 9th-11th place games pitting Bluff City, LAW and the Chicago Water Polo Club to determine places Ninth, Tenth and 11th in the 11-team championship field, the game was nip-tuck in the early going with neither team managing to build a lead of more than a goal throughout the majority of the first half.
Bluff City, which fell behind 1-0 in the first quarter and trailed 4-3 with 3:36 on the second quarter clock, started to acquire control of the contest in the closing minutes of the first half.
Down by one, the team ticked off back-to-back-to-back tallies to jump ahead 6-4 with 45 seconds to go in the first half. It marked the first time Bluff City held a lead since a short-lived 2-1 advantage with 36 seconds left in the first quarter.
The tides, however, turned back in favor of LAW as the squad pulled within one at 6-5 prior to halftime and went back in front at 7-6 courtesy consecutive scores to open the third quarter.
Following an equalizer from Bluff City at the 2:22 mark to deadlock the teams at seven-all, LAW reacquired the lead 22 seconds later to go ahead 8-7.
Similar to the close of the second quarter, Bluff City reeled off a 3-0 spree to go back in front as the team torched the cage with 53, 23 and four seconds left to carry a 10-8 lead into the fourth quarter.
Bluff City continued its scoring spree in the final period to push the lead to 12-8 prior to LAW answering with exactly one minute left for the 12-9 final score.
For Bluff City, JoJo DeSalvo scored twice with Megan Mathers, Gabby Seitz, Abby Williams, Sarah Straub, Catherine Couture and Emily Haff each putting away one offensive chance.
Windy City Takes Down NIPC, 17-6, to Claim Berth in 2018 National State Challenge Girls’ 18U Title Game
WARREN SPRINGS, Ill. — Paulina Correa scored seven times as Windy City topped NIPC, 17-6, at Lyons Township Pool to finish first in Bracket N and earn a spot in the Girls 18U title game at the 2018 American Water Polo (AWP) National State Challenge.
Windy City, which finishes 3-0 in Bracket N, will face Greenwich Aquatics at 1:00 p.m. Central on Sunday, July 15, at Fenwick High School for the Girls’ 18U title with a $1,000 check presented to the victorious team. NIPC finishes second in Bracket N with a 2-1 mark and will wrap-up its weekend at 11:00 a.m. on July 15 at Fenwick against the Chicago Parks District in the Third Place game.
Windy City put NIPC away early by building a margin of 8-1 at the end of the first quarter prior to entering halftime with a 9-4 lead. The game was blown open in the third quarter as Windy City ticked off six strikes while holding NIPC off the board to make it 15-4 going into the final frame. Both teams found the back of the cage twice in the fourth quarter for the 17-6 final score.
For Windy City, Kassy Rodriguez scored four times with Harper Daniels (three), Xonhane Medina (two) and Ceci Jenkins (one) combing for their team’s other six goals.
NIPC received four goals by Lauren Maloney, while Eleanor Michaud and Anne Baldino both dented the twine once.
Pittsburgh Tigers Handle Red Hawks, 16-5, to Earn Spot in Girls’ 18U Fifth Place Game at 2018 National State Challenge
WARREN SPRINGS, Ill. — Sarah Koehler scored eight times to key the Pittsburgh Tigers to a convincing 16-5 victory over Red Hawks at Lyons Townshp Pool and a ticket to the Girls’ 18U Fifth Place game at 2018 the National State Challenge.
Pittsburgh, which finishes 1-2 in Bracket N, will take on New Trier at 11:00 a.m. Central on Sunday, July 15 for Fifth Place. Due to the loss, Red Hawks falls into the Seventh Place contest against Saint Charles at 10:00 a.m. on July 15.
Down 1-0 with 6:44 left in the first quarter, the Tigers bared their claws in outscoring Red Hawks 3-1 over the remainder of the opening frame to snag a 4-2 lead. Following a goal by the Red Hawks to commence the second quarter and close within one at 4-3, Pittsburgh put any doubt about the eventual outcome to rest with six straight scores to collect a 10-3 lead by halftime.
Pittsburgh padded the lead with 3-1 scoring outbursts in the third and fourth quarters for the 16-5 final score.
For the Tigers, Ryley McClellan contributed a hat-trick with Julia Sheahan tacking on a pair of markers. Emily McNaughton, Anna Kegel and Emma Halle each put away single shots to account for the remainder of their team’s offense.
Jodie Nelson led the way for Red Hawks with four goals to accompany Emma Guccione’s solo strike.
Greenwich Aquatics Manages New Trier, 10-9, to Claim Berth in Girls’ 18U Title Game at 2018 National State Challenge
WARREN SPRINGS, Ill. — Greenwich Aquatics never trailed as Kaitlin Ganshaw notched Player of the Game accolades with a team-high four goals to help her squad top New Trier, 10-9, and claim a berth in the 2018 National State Challenge Girls’ 18U title slated for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 15, at Fenwick High School.
Competing at Lyons Township Pool, Greenwich was little time in making its intent for a title berth and a shot at the tournament’s $1,000 check known by acquiring a 3-0 lead behind two goals from Ganshaw in the opening stanza.
Out in front by a 5-1 score by halftime, Greenwich continued to pull away by jumping out to a 9-1 lead by the conclusion of the third quarter.
However, New Trier refused to go down without a fight as the team shaved its deficit down to 9-4 by the 4:05 mark of the fourth quarter to raise the possibility of a dramatic comeback. Following a score by Tyler Fox at the 3:35 mark for Greenwich to return the lead to six at 10-4, New Trier went back to work as the team found the back of the net at 3:08, 1:51 and 1:27 to slice its deficit down to 10-7.
The fast-paced comeback try continued in the final minute as strikes with 40 seconds and seven seconds moved New Trier within one at 10-9. However, time ran out before the team could complete the comeback.
Due to the win, Greenwich finishes 4-0 in Bracket K and punches the program’s ticket to the tournament title game at 1:00 p.m. at Fenwick against the top team from Bracket N – either Windy City, Pittsburgh Tigers, NIPC or Red Hawks.
Greenwich received scoring from six different players in the game as Fox, Lilly Hopper, June Akpata, Jordan Rogers, Jenna Handali and goalie Olivia Peters – who swished her team’s ninth goal with no time remaining in the third quarter – each put away single scores.
New Trier, which finishes with a 2-2 mark in Bracket K action, will wrap-up its participation at the National State Challenge in the Fifth Place game at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 15, against the Third Place finisher from Bracket N.
Bluff City Rallies Back to Clip Chicago Water Polo Club, 8-7, on Third Day of Girls’ 18U Competition at 2018 National State Challenge
WARREN SPRINGS, Ill. — Trailing 7-6 with 2:46 remaining in the game, Bluff City rallied back as Erin Haff scored with 1:47 and 25 seconds left on the game-clock to capture an 8-7 victory over the Chicago Water Polo Club in Girls’ 18U competition at Lyons Township Pool on Day 3 of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Haff, who finished with a hat-trick in the fourth quarter to help Bluff City overcome a 6-5 deficit at the conclusion of the third quarter, was one-half of an offensive juggernaut for Bluff City. Emily Haff added four goals, all in the first three quarters of the game with two in the first and one in both the second and third quarters, as the two Haffs made the game finish on a positive note for Bluff City by combining for seven of their squad’s eight goals. Sarah Straub was the only non-Haff to score in the game for Bluff City as she put away a chance in the second quarter.
Bluff City appeared to be in command of the game in the early-going as the team jumped out to a 4-1 lead midway through the second quarter. However, Chicago Water Polo began to climb back into the contest by pulling within 4-3 by halftime and jumping ahead 6-4 with 2;59 left in the third quarter.
Leading 6-5 going into the final quarter of action, Chicago Water Polo appeared poised to put the finishing touches on a win as Emma Salzman deposited her second strike of the second half to make it 7-5 with 4:36 to play.
However, Erin Haff had other ideas by drilling in a shot with 2:46 on the clock before connecting on the equalizer nearly one minute later at 1:47. Following an exclusion with 30 seconds remaining, Erin Haff cashed in on her six-on-five opportunity and hammered in the deciding factor with 25 ticks to go to complete Bluff City’s comeback win.
For Chicago Water Polo Club. Ashling Staunton posted a team-high three goals with both Salzman and Margaret Keilman racking up pairs.
Chicago Parks District Stops Saint Charles, 11-2, on Day 3 of Girls’ 18U Competition at 2018 National State Challenge
WARREN SPRINGS, Ill. — Chicago Parks District raced out to leads of 2-0 and 5-0 by the conclusion of the first and second quarters to build a margin which Saint Charles was unable to overcome in acquiring an 11-2 victory in Girls’ 18U competition on Day 3 of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Leading by five at halftime, Chicago Parks further insulated its lead by 10-1 by the end of the third quarter to coast to a nine-goal victory.
Kate Fischer led the way for Chicago Parks with a hat-trick, while Gladys Contreras, Becky Schofield and Hannah Engquist each tacked on pairs of scores. Abigail Cabrera and Joia McKinney both registered single tallies in the win.
Meri Chivari and Allison Tarpey accounted for Saint Charles’ goals.
NIPC Handles Pittsburgh Tigers, 12-7, in Girls’ 18U Play on Third Day at 2018 National State Challenge
WARREN SPRINGS, Ill. — NIPC overcame a 3-2 deficit at the conclusion of the first quarter to outscore the Pittsburgh Tigers by a 10-4 count the rest of the way and claim a 12-7 win in Girls’ 18U competition at Lyons Township Pool on the third day of play at the 2018 National State Challenge.
Trailing by one at 3-2 after the opening period of play, NIPC went to work by outscoring Pittsburgh 5-0 in the second quarter to claim a 7-3 lead by halftime. The differential continued to grow between the programs in the third quarter as NIPS reeled off four more tallies after an opening salvo by the Tigers to set the scoreboard at 11-4 heading into the final quarter of action.
Pittsburgh attempted to rally back in outscoring NIPC by a 3-1 count in the closing moments of the game, but the lead was too large to overcome in under seven minutes.
For NIPC, Lauren Maloney led the way with five goals, while Valerie Zlotnikova tacked on four more. Shreya Sreedhar (two) and Hanna Cloeter (one) accounted for the other three scores.
Sarah Koehler keyed Pittsburgh with three goals with Emily McNaugton, Ryley McClellan, Emma Halle and Julia Sheahan each depositing single tallies.
Windy City Grounds Red Hawks, 12-3, in Girls’ 18U Competition on Third Day at 2018 National State Challenge
WARREN SPRINGS, Ill. — Windy City raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, expanded its margin to 10-2 by the close of the first half and never looked back in rolling to a 12-3 victory over Red Hawks in Girls’ 18U competition at Lyons Township Pool on the third day of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Windy City, which maintains an unblemished 3-0 mark to far in the tournament after turning aside the Chicago Water Polo Club (24-7 W) and Pittsburgh Tigers (15-9 W) in Bracket L competition, used hat-tricks by three different players to account for the majority of the team’s offense.
Jodie Nelson led the way for the Red Hawks with two goals with Sophia Blueher slipping in her team’s other strike.
Greenwich Aquatics Bends LAW, 16-4, to Commence Girls’ 18U Action on Third Day at 2018 National State Challenge
WARREN SPRINGS, Ill. — Greenwich Aquatics fell behind 1-0 in the early going, but rallied back with seven unanswered goals over the remainder of the first half to carry a 7-1 lead into halftime on the way to a 16-4 defeat of LAW in Girls’ 18U competition at Lyons Township Pool on the third day of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Trailing 1-0 following a strike by LAW’s Cali Burns with 5:01 left in the opening quarter of play, Greenwich Aquatics turned the tide of the game for good by ripping off four consecutive markers over the remainder of the frame to snag a 4-1 lead.
The onslaught continued in the second quarter as the squad tacked on three more markers to acquire a 7-1 margin prior to the halftime horn.
LAW attempted to climb back into the game via back-to-back tallies to commence the third quarter, but Greenwich answered the bell with back-to-back-to-back-to-back blasts in the waning moments of the quarter to carry an 11-3 spread into the final period.
Greenwich Aquatics inflated the lead to the 12-goal final spread by outscoring LAW 5-1 in the closing moments of the game for the 16-4 final score.
For Greenwich, goalie Olivia Peters stopped eight shots to capture the win, while Jenna Handali led all scorers with five goals. June Akpata chipped in four markers with seven other players finding the back of the cage once.
The loss drops LAW to 0-4 in Bracket K competition as the team will next be in action at 5:00 p.m. Central later today against Bluff City in the first of a round-robin series with Bluff City and the Chicago Water Polo Club to determine places No. 9-to-11 in the final 11-team standings.
