Another Opponent Down, Another Win in the Books
This past Saturday, Big Red’s varsity girls’ water polo squad traveled to Deerfield Academy to face off against their rival team. In another spectacular victory, the girls squashed the competition and continuing their undefeated season. When the clock ended, the scoreboard sported a score of 13-3. The girls were ecstatic to have yet another win under their belts, and hopefully this victory will only add to their confidence going into the final games of the season.
The Exeter/Andover match is close on the horizon, and with the girls stellar performance this season, they should have an easy time crushing Andover’s team. “I’m really excited for our Andover game,” upper Michelle Ysrael said. “I think that with our record the way it is, we’ll definitely be able to play really well against Andover. They have a good team, but I’m confident that we can blow them out of the water.”
The undefeated season that the girls have worked so hard for has been beneficial in many different ways. First of all, it is quite the mentality boost. “Going into a game knowing that we haven’t lost yet is such a huge mental advantage,” Ysrael continued. “To be able to start off the match with the mentality that we have the upper hand is so great for us.”
This season has also provided the girls who normally would not get as much time in the pool with great opportunities to play. In particular, the preps have gained valuable experience during the games in which Exeter led by many points. Hopefully, this additional experience will pay off later on when the current preps lead the team.
The most recent game against Deerfield followed Big Red’s recent streak of clean wins. With great teamwork and impressive effort, the girls dominated the Deerfield squad and cruised towards victory. “The older girls started the game off really well, allowing for the new girls to get a chance to play,” prep Emily LaRovere said. “We all had a really fun time and it was a really awesome game.”
This match, like many of the games the girls have played this season, progressed extremely well early on, which gave them the leisure for the less experienced players to sub in later on in third or fourth quarters. “We try to let as many people play as we can during the matches that aren’t super close,” Ysrael remarked. “It really helps to create a good team dynamic, since no one person is always on the bench, and everyone gets a chance to play with everyone else in the pool for a bit.”
The girls performance so far this season has blown away all expectations, and they continue to impress. “I really am so proud of the way that the girls have been playing, and I know that they will only get better from here,” manager Quinn Hickey said of the squad. “All I have to do is sit back and watch them win.”