Girls’ Water Polo Wins Big; Suffers Close Loss at Choate

Girls’ water polo had their third double-header game of the season this past Saturday, playing both Williston and Kent. After a couple of tough losses the previous weekend, a big 16-4 win against Williston Northampton helped boost their team’s spirits. However, the girls were not able to pull out a win against Choate, losing 5-4 in a close game. Their record now stands at 3-5.

The first game against Williston was a blowout. Exeter scored four quick goals in the first quarter and never gave their opponents a chance to come back.

A variety of players scored goals and all members of the team were able to substitute in and get some playing time. Co-captains and seniors Madison Hillyard and Abby Ambrogi played great games and helped lead the team. Lower Maddie Shapiro also had a phenomenal game, scoring one goal and laying off six assists.

“Although the season has had a rough start, there’s still a lot of hope. The team has some big games coming up that they’re focusing on now.”

Shapiro commented on the team’s offensive successes. “We left early on counter attacks and had a lot of breakaways. We kept moving the ball on offense and overall just played well together as a team,” she said.

It has been a common theme for the girls to give it their all this season, playing with intensity and grit. Although this strategy helped them stomp Williston, they were too tired to finish out the game against Choate, considering that they started right after their first game. However, the team had some energy left to start the game and took a 3-1 lead after the first quarter.

Upper Emily LaRovere expanded on the team’s early dominance. “The first quarter was the best water polo we have played all season,” she said. “[Coach] McTammany even graded our play an A for the first time in forever.”

The girls even extended their lead in the second quarter of play with a nice goal from prep Issy Wise, who scored three of the four Exeter goals, but the margin was too small. After halftime, the girls were running on fumes and could not keep up with the fresh legs of Choate’s team.

In the second half, Choate scored five unanswered goals to take the lead. With only seconds to go, Coach McTammany called a timeout and drew up an elaborate play on the white board, with the hopes to tie the game and take it into overtime. However, it was in vain, and the Choate defense was able to get in the way and mess up the plan.

Still, the girls have many things to be proud of from these past two games. Each game they continue to improve, so hopefully, by the end of the season, they will be able to revenge some of their close losses. Big Red is in a tough situation with their 3-5 record, and the girls will need many more wins to qualify for the Liquid Four tournament at the end of the season

Team manager and upper JP Mullins explained the team’s current situation. “Although the season has had a rough start, there’s still a lot of hope. The team has some big games coming up that they’re focusing on now,” he said.

For the remainder of the season, Exeter will play opponents for a second time. Many of these teams got the better of them the first time around, but the girls are working hard in practice to change these outcomes. Big Red’s first rematch is this Saturday against a tough Loomis team.