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 Muffles Windy City, 9-6, to Win 2018 National State Challenge Boys’ 18U Crown
OAK PARK, Ill. — Goalie Alex Perez made 15 saves and Arturo Magana scored three times as Chicago Parks White built an early lead and never looked back in defeating Windy City, 9-6, in the Boys’ 18U title game of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Battling at Fenwick High School, Chicago Parks White went out in front by a 2-0 score prior to exiting the first quarter with a narrow 2-1 lead. The margin grew to 5-1 in the second quarter prior to the two teams exchanging tallies to set the scoreboard at 6-2 by halftime.
Ahead 8-3 by the conclusion of the third quarter, Chicago Parks White sealed the win with back-to-back markers with 1:49 and 1:16 remaining in the fourth quarter to inflate its lead to 9-4. Windy City attempted one final push to close the gap in putting away shots with 1:08 and 18 seconds left, but the margin was too large and the amount of time left too small for Windy City to rally back.
For Chicago Parks White, Ramses Flores and Aiden Cawley both notched pairs of goals to accompany single strikes from Ivan Soto and Zach Fischer.
Michael Feeley, Payton Comstock and Nate Fisher each scored twice for Windy City in support of an 11-save effort by netminder Manny Ruiz.
Palos Orland Finishes 3-0 with 11-5 Defeat of Cincy Marlins in Boys’ 18U Bracket E at 2018 National State Challenge
WESTERN SPRINGS, Ill. — Eddie Howaniec scored four times to lead the way as Palos Orland downed the Cincy Marlins, 11-5, to wrap up a 3-0 run in Bracket E and claim a Ninth Place finish in Boys’ 18U competition at the 2018 National State Challenge.
Competing at the Lyons Township Pool, Palos Orland – which previously topped New Trier (13-7 W) and Saint Charles (13-1 W) – raced out to leads of 4-0 and 7-2 by the conclusion of the first two quarters to hook the Marlins and reel in a win.
The margin continued to balloon in the third quarter as a 2-0 spurt pushed the lead to 9-2 prior to a strike at the 5:40 mark of the fourth quarter building the spread to a game high eight goals (10-2).
A 3-1 run by the Cincy Marlins over the final four minutes of the game cut the final differential down to six at 11-5.
For Palos Orland, Jack Donnell and Sean Harlin added pairs of goals to join Howaniec in recording multi-score contests.
The Marlins, which finish 0-3 in Bracket E following losses to Saint Charles (12-11 L) and New Trier (12-8 L) to place 12th in the final tournament standings, was the beneficiary of pairs of scores from Keegan Graham and Matthew Marks to go along with a single slash by George Perry.
New Trier Downs Saint Charles, 10-7, in Boys’ 18U Bracket E Play at 2018 National State Challenge
WESTERN SPRINGS, Ill. — New Trier overcame a 3-1 deficit at the conclusion of the first quarter thanks to four goals from Ricciardi Riccardo as the team downed Saint Charles, 10-7, in Boys’ 18U Bracket E competition at Lyons Township Pool on the final day of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Courtesy the win, New Trier improves to 2-1 in Bracket E action against Saint Charles (1-2), Cincy Marlins (0-2) and Palos Orland (2-0) with a showdown pitting Palos Orland versus Cincy Marlins remaining on the docket. As Palos Orland already defeated New Trier by a 13-7 final score and Saint Charles defeated Cincy Marlins 12-11, the outcome of the game will have no bearing on the final standings as Palos Orland (9th), New Trier (10th,) Saint Charles (11th) and Cincy Marlins (12th) complete the 12-team championship field.
Trailing 3-1 after the opening quarter of action, New Trier rallied back with a 3-0 outburst in the second quarter to push ahead by a 4-3 count at halftime.
Saint Charles pulled even with 4:37 left in the third quarter and acquired a 5-4 lead with 3:54 on the clock. New Trier balanced the scoreboard at five-all with 3:24 remaining in the frame, but Saint Charles exited the third quarter clinging to a 6-5 lead.
For New Trier, the game shifted dramatically in the fourth quarter as the team ticked off tallies with 5:21, 4:04 and 3:35 to go in the final period of play to go ahead for good at 8-6. Saint Charles attempted to climb back into the game with a strike at the 1:31 mark to move within one at 8-7, but New Trier’s Danny Zhukov torqued in chances 1:25 and 26 seconds to go for some insurance to claim a 10-7 victory.
For New Trier, Zhukov finished with a hat-trick while Peter Caldwell (two) and William Clark (one) combined for their team’s other three scores.
Hunter Kos-Dondling led the way for Saint Charles with four goals. Alec Filipovic and Albert Buvary chipped in two and one goal, respectively.
LAW Goes the Distance to Outlast Pittsburgh Tigers, 10-9 OT, for Third Place in Boys’ 18U Competition at 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — Adam Hudson completed a hat-trick with 14 seconds left in a sudden death overtime period for the difference as LAW outlasted Pittsburgh Tigers by a 10-9 score in the 2018 National State Challenge Boys’ 18U Third Place game at Fenwick High School.
Trailing by a 4-1 count at the conclusion of the first quarter and looking up at Pittsburgh by a 6-1 count by halftime, LAW began to climb back into the game in the third quarter by outscoring the Tigers by a 3-2 count to pull within 8-4.
However, it was the fourth quarter where LAW began to take control of the contest as Hudson (6:45, 2:02) opened and closed a 4-0 scoring spree that evened the score at eight-all.
LAW pushed ahead 9-8 with 1:24 remaining in regulation to complete a potential epic comeback, but Pittsburgh answered before the final horn to even the damage at nine-all and force overtime.
Following back-and-forth play in the sudden death OT period, Hudson heaved in the deciding factor with 14 ticks on the clock to lock-up a 10-9 win.
For LAW, Lucas Verilli joined Hudson in posting hat-tricks with Ben O’Connell (two), Noah Schor (one) and Jacob Fin (one) also contributing markers in the win.
Pittsburgh received pairs of goals from Tan Kocyildirim, Benjamin Phillips, Andrew Ziegler and Max Moore to go along with a single tally by David Lomakin.
Vulture Pecks Bluff City, 9-5, to Take Boys’ 18U Fifth Place Game at 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — Brad Sanford scored four times as Vulture overcame a 2-1 first quarter deficit to stop Bluff City, 9-5, in the Boys’ 18U Fifth Place game at Fenwick High School on the final day of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Trailing by counts of 1-0 and 2-1 in the early moments of the first quarter, Vulture turned the tables on Bluff City and snagged a 3-2 lead by the conclusion of the opening frame.
Out in front 5-3 by halftime, Vulture saw its lead evaporate in the third quarter as Bluff City rallied back to knot the score at five-all and set the outcome in doubt.
However, Vulture terminated any hopes of a Bluff City victory in the fourth quarter as Luke Klein-Collins (6:44), Sanford (2:32, 1:29) and Issac Noren (54 seconds) rattled off four consecutive goals to take a 9-5 victory.
For Vulture, Noren, Jonah Klein-Collins, Luke Klein-Collins, Bender Russo and Liam Blueher each scored once to join with Sanford in accounting for all of the program’s offense in the game.
Arman Abdul led the way for Bluff City with a hat-trick, while Drew Champion and Joe Addison both put away solo strikes.
Lyons Stops Chicago Parks Green, 14-5, to Claims Boys’ 18U Seventh Place Game at 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — Ethan Wright and Lian Malas both scored five times, while Bobby Bolan chipped in a hat-trick as Lyons outgunned the Chicago Parks District, 14-5, to claim the Boys’ 18U Seventh Place game during the 2018 National State Challenge at Fenwick High School.
Trailing 1-0 with 6:48 left in the first quarter, Lyons put the game out of reach prior to the opening frame’s concluding horn as the squad ripped off seven consecutive scores to grab a 7-1 lead.
Out in front by a 9-3 tally going into the third quarter, Lyons continued to pull away by pushing the lead to 13-4 at the end of the third quarter prior to the programs exchanging tallies in the fourth quarter for the 14-5 final score.
Lyons also received a single goal from Eric Markey, while Spencer Ryan led the way for Chicago Parks Green with three goals.
18U GIRLS
Windy City Takes 2018 National State Challenge Girls’ 18U Title with 9-8 Victory Versus Greenwich Aquatics
OAK PARK, Ill. — Patricia Correa scored six times, including the equalizer and game-winner with 2:47 and 1:27 left on the fourth quarter clock, respectively, to power Windy City to a 9-8 defeat of Greenwich Aquatics in the Girls’ 18U title game at Fenwick High School on the final day of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Courtesy the win, Windy City claims bragging rights until the 2019 National State Challenge and a check for $1,000.
In a back-and-forth game in which neither team was able to build a lead of more than two goals, Windy City received a last push from Correa to overcome an 8-7 deficit with 6:03 left in the final quarter.
Trailing 2-0 following back-to-back Windy City goals with 5:37 and 2:44 to go in the first quarter, Greenwich evened the scoreboard prior to the close of the period thanks to strikes with 50 and 15 seconds on the clock.
The score swayed back and forth between a one-goal Greenwich lead (3-2 at 4:32, 4-3 at 2:16) and equilibrium (3-3 at 4:16, 4-4 at 44 seconds) in the second quarter as the teams went to their corners knotted at four-all.
Both teams refused to yield in the third quarter as Windy City gained leads at 6:47 (5-4) and 4:13 (6-5), but Greenwich slipped in equalizers at 5:10 and 3:44 to once again lock the teams in a tie at six-all
Greenwich went ahead at 2:02 (7-6), but yellow cards to the Greenwich bench (2:02) and Windy City’s head coach (1:08) were followed by a strike by Windy City with 34 seconds left to make it seven-all going into the climatic fourth quarter.
For Windy City, Kassy Rodriguez and Xonhane Medina notched two and one goal, respectively, to join with Correa in accounting for all their team’s offense.
Greenwich received hat-tricks from Kaitlin Ganshaw and June Akpata to go along with solo strikes from Jordan Rogers and Jenna Handali.
Bluff City Stops Chicago Water Polo Club, 11-4, for Ninth Place in Girls’ 18U Competition at 2018 National State Challenge
WARREN SPRINGS, Ill. — Megan Mathers scored three times as Bluff City pulled away from the Chicago Water Polo Club for an 11-4 victory in a Girls’ 18U 9th-11th Place game at the Lyons Township Pool on the final day of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Due to the win, Bluff City claims 9th Place in the final tournament standings, while LAW and the Chicago Water Polo Club wrap-up the weekend in 10th and 11th Places, respectively.
Never trailing in the game, Bluff City raced out to leads of 3-1, 6-3 and 7-4 at the conclusion of the first, second and third quarters prior to insuring the win with a 4-0 outburst in the fourth quarter for the 11-4 final score.
Abby Williams, Sarah Straub and JoJo DeSalvo each chipped in pairs of markers for Bluff City, while Catherine Couture and Erin Haff notched single goals.
On the other end of the tank, Ashling Staunton contributed a hat-trick for the Chicago Water Polo Club with Sophia Visconti tacking on a solo strike.
New Trier Pens Pittsburgh Tigers, 13-9, for Fifth Place in Girls’ 18U Play at 2018 National State Challenge
WARREN SPRINGS, Ill. — Taylor Wessel scored five times, including a hat-trick in the second half to help her team grab a 5-4 lead by halftime, as New Trier penned the Pittsburgh Tigers 13-9 at the Lyons Township Pool in the Girls’ 18U Fifth Place game of the 2018 National State Challenge.
Down by a 3-1 count in the first quarter before moving within 3-2 prior to the concluding horn of the opening frame, New Trier pulled even and went ahead in the second quarter as Wessel posted a pair of equalizers (3-3, 4-4) before pushing her team ahead at 5-4 with 29 seconds to go in the first half.
The teams traded goals in the third quarter with the score running from 5-5, 6-5, 6-6, 7-6, 8-6, 8-7, 9-7, 9-8, 10-8 and finally 10-9 with New Trier being tied or maintaining a lead for the entirety of the frame.
New trier put the contest away in the fourth quarter by outscoring the Tigers 3-0 thanks to back-to-back-to-back strikes from Emma Wendt (6:44), Taylor Jones (5:49) and Wessel (4:30) to establish the final score at 13-9.
Sarah Koehler led the way for Pittsburgh with five goals.
NIPC Manages Chicago Parks District, 10-7, for Third Place in Girls’ 18U Action at 2018 National State Challenge
OAK PARK, Ill. — NIPC rolled out to leads of 4-0 and 8-1 by the conclusion of the first and second quarters, respectively, as the squad topped the Chicago Parks District by a 10-7 count in the 2018 National State Challenge Girls’ 18U Third Place game at Fenwick High School.
Leading 10-4 at the end of the third quarter, NIPC put the contest away in the fourth quarter by holding Chicago Parks District to three scores in the final period to notch a three-score victory.
NIPC received seven goals from Lauren Maloney to accompany a hat-trick by Eleanor Michaud in claiming the win.
For Chicago Parks, Hannah Engquist and Becky Schofield both scored twice with Chloe Ryan, Joia McKinney and Leticia Bradsfield each recording solo tallies.
Red Hawks Handles Saint Charles, 8-6, in Girls’ 18U Seventh Place Game at 2018 National State Challenge
WARREN SPRINGS, Ill. — Jodie Nelson and Jenny Desch both netted hat-tricks to accompany a pair by Emma Guccione as Red Hawks slipped by Saint Charles, 8-6, in the National State Challenge Girls’ 18U Seventh Place game at the Lyons Township Pool.
The game was close in the early going as Saint Charles jumped ahead 1-0 prior to Red Hawks evening the damage prior to the conclusion of the first quarter. Red Hawks pulled ahead 4-2 by halftime and pushed its lead out to 7-2 at the conclusion of the third quarter to appear to have an easy path to victory.
However, Saint Charles made a game of the contest in the fourth quarter by ticking off back-to-back tallies in the first two minutes of the final frame to move within 7-4. Following a response by Red Hawks to return the lead to four (8-4) with 2:07 remaining on the game clock, Saint Charles made one final push with consecutive strikes at the 1:39 and 59 seconds marks to shave the deficit between the teams down to 8-6 prior to the concluding horn.
For Saint Charles, Allison Tarpey finished with a hat-trick with Aubrey Suhr, Meri Chivari and Emma Allamian each notching solo scores.
LAW Takes Down Chicago Water Polo Club, 14-6, in Second 9th-11th Place Round Robin Game in Girls’ 18U Action at 2018 National State Challenge
WARREN SPRINGS, Ill. — LAW received scoring from nine different players downing the Chicago Water Polo Club, 14-6, in the second of three 9th-11th place round robin games at the 2018 National State Challenge hosted at the Lyons Township Pool.
For LAW, the team built a 1-0 lead by the conclusion of the first quarter and inflated its spread to 4-2 by halftime. Leading 8-4 at the conclusion of the third quarter, LAW finished off its win by outscoring the Chicago Water Polo Club 6-2 in the fourth quarter for the 14-6 final score.
