Water Polo Returns Victorious After a Successful Tournament

Exeter boys’ water polo made the hike down to Suffield Academy for an invitational against Suffield and Hotchkiss on Saturday. Exeter dominated both of their matches by scores of 9-5 against Suffield and 22-7 against Hotchkiss. Big Red won the tournament and fired their season off to an excellent 2-0 start.Bear Polo controlled the whole first half against Suffield, going up 8-2 at halftime. At the end of the third quarter Suffield scored to gain some momentum, then followed it up with two more goals at the beginning of the fourth quarter, making it 8-5. Big Red called a timeout, pulled themselves together and ended the game with strong defense, finesse saves by senior Sam Oakley, and a goal to put Suffield away.Senior and co-captain Conrad Diao rallied Big Red when Suffield was making its comeback.“Conrad was very vocal in the second half, making sure we were doing things right in every aspect of our play,” prep Jamie Cassidy said. “He made sure we didn’t let the game slip away at the end.”The Hotchkiss game was a completely different story, with absolutely no pressure down the stretch. “The Hotchkiss game was a blowout from start to finish, it was never really close,” lower Jonathan Lee said.Exeter’s offensive and defensive prowess showed throughout the game. “Our defense did a really great job of getting back on fast breaks and swarming the guy with the ball,” Cassidy said. Senior Prin Harinsuta agreed. “I was really proud of the guys, we showed up ready to play and really took it to them both games,” he said.Senior and co-captain Brooks Saltonstall’s great defense shined in both games. Upper Ernesto Brown also stood out, scoring almost at will and creating multiple opportunities at the offensive end. The great play of both goalies, Diao and Oakley, was also crucial to the two wins.A pleasant surprise from the weekend’s victories was the outstanding play of the two youngest members of the team, preps Jackson Parrell and Jamie Cassidy. “I was really impressed with how Jackson and Jamie played against Hotchkiss, they showed that they can really compete out there,” Lee said.The season could not be off to a more promising start for Bear Polo. With nine seniors leading the way and a mix of promising young players, Exeter looks primed for a great year. Big Red hopes to continue the momentum and come out 5-0 by the end of this weekend at Deerfield Academy.