Girls Start Season on 7-0 Run, Finish 12-3

This spring term, Exeter girls’ water polo achieved something incredible. Heading into their final tournament with an undefeated record and taking the first seed, Big Red’s squad definitely had a season to be proud of, finishing 12-3. 

During every one of their regular season games, the girls team played with passion, heart and intelligence. Pass after pass, shot after shot, they came together with flawless chemistry that impressed both each other and their coaches, not to mention those who came to watch their matches. From the beginning of the season, the girls knew that they were going to be a strong team. With a fresh crop of new, young players, and some serious talent from the upperclassmen, Exeter’s girls set out to own the girls water polo New England league. 

In their first game, the girls were pitted against Deerfield’s squad, who some considered to be quite the threat. The girls squad soon quelled those rumours, putting Deerfield down with a 11-3 victory. This win served not only to boost team morale, but also allowed the girls to get a feel for each other in the water without risking the fate of the game. In fact, the girls’ nearly undefeated season allowed them many liberties that will most definitely pay off for them in the future.

Due to the incredibly huge margin the girls often won by, many of the less experienced players were allowed play time that they would not have been afforded otherwise. After the girls’ match against Deerfield, upper Michelle Ysrael lent her opinion on the advantages that come with winning by a large amount of points. “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 huge wins also served as an intimidation factor against opposing teams. To go up against a team with an undefeated record is a scary thing, but to have that “scare potential” on your side can be a huge advantage in terms of mental strength. In addition, the girls record pushed them to play harder and better when they were struggling in a match. The idea of continuing their winning streak was more motivating than almost anything else. 

The water polo season, while it is mainly focused on the game, it also provides a venue for new friends to be made and new experiences to be had. The girls fantastic play in the water was accompanied by fantastic chemistry outside of the water. 

“Our chemistry was great and we learned how to play to each other's strengths,” upper Janet Chen said. 

“Just going to practice and seeing some girls can really make my day,” senior and captain Hope Logan said of her appreciation for her teammates. “After we lost to Andover, we all rode back on the bus and had a great time anyway. They can really make me laugh. I love our team.”

While giving their matches their all, the girls also have fun during their games. “Our second Suffield game was definitely a highlight for me,” Logan said. “The Hopkins game during the final was also really fun and awesome.”

Throughout the season, there were a number of girls who played exceptionally well in the pool. Senior Diane Lee had some great performances in Hole Set defense. “Diane Lee had a great season both offensively and as our hole defender,” Chen said. “Hole D is a tough position to play because you have to keep a balance between defending well and playing too aggressively, but Diane did a great job.”

 In previous games, players Madison Hillyard, Michelle Ysrael, Hope Logan and Corinne Noonan also portrayed their skills in stellar ways, which undoubtedly helped secure the team’s victory in their regular season matches.

Going into the Exeter/Andover games, the girls squad was definitely favored to grab the victory. With the first seed spot and an undefeated record, it would have been crazy to think that they would not win. However, the perfect storm combined, and Andover’s squad managed to pull out a 10-6 win. While the girls were not happy after their loss, they didn’t let it get them. They got right back up and came out with a victory against Suffield, but unfortunately suffered a second loss at the hands of Choate’s squad. 

These last two defeats placed the girls third in the league as the season closed. While the girls obviously would have preferred to do better in the final stretch of the season, they were still proud of their performances this season, and had a great time playing. “We started off really strong, and although the championship game didn’t go how we wanted it to, I’m really happy with how we worked as a team this year,” upper Dana Yu said. 

“The season was great, and while we might not have finished with the outcome we wanted, seeing the team grow and improve so much throughout the season more than made up for it,” Ysrael commented. 

Chen shared the sentiments expressed by Yu and Ysrael. “Because we went into our final tournament with the first seed and because we had worked so hard all season, it was a little frustrating to wind up third, but both games we played were really great, not to mention well-matched.”

The girls will continue to keep up the competitiveness shown this season, and the graduating seniors will be sorely missed by the squad. “The seniors all played so well, and were such great leaders.” Ysrael said. With some new talent in the upcoming class, girls’ water polo might just pull off a fully undefeated season in the 2014-2015 year.