Boys’ Water Polo Starts Strong

The boys’ varsity water polo team started their season strong this past Saturday, winning both of their games against Suffield and Hotchkiss 14-13 and 15-9, respectively.

The team went into their first game expecting a challenge, since Suffield placed second in the league last year. Following a less-than-stellar performance against them in the previous season, Exeter was excited to get back in the pool and redeem themselves. “We wanted some revenge,” upper Taylor Walshe said.

The boys maintained a lead throughout the game and were up 5-4 at the end of the first quarter, 9-7 at the half mark and 13-9 with a quarter to go. Walshe credited Suffield’s resurgence in the last quarter to negligence on the part of Bear Polo. “We got a little lazy and let them come back into the game, so we only won 14-13,” he said.

The second match, which was against Hotchkiss, proved to be less of a challenge for Bear Polo. While their game play grew a bit sloppier, they maintained enough of a lead to allow their bench players to play in the fourth quarter and still win by six points.

“I feel good about the outcome, but we definitely are not satisfied and want to improve throughout the season.”

Players across the team pointed to their strong defense as the reason for their success. “Our superior defense and strong offense gave us the advantage over both teams,” co-captain and senior JP Mullins said.

Upper Harry Saunders explained how their defensive strategy allowed the team to make offensive moves. “A big highlight of the games was our strong defense, which led to numerous fast break opportunities,” he said. Similarly, Walshe credited the team’s drive and attitude for their success, saying, “We were hungry to win.”

The team relied on cooperation and well-practiced plays throughout the game as part of their strategy. After one of their players earned an ejection, Exeter ran their set “6-5” play. They were able to score a few times with this advantage as Walshe, the team’s leading scorer, received passes in front of the goal.

While the team was happy with their performance, they remained wary that the season is only beginning. “I am very happy with how we played both games, but there is still a lot of winning left to be done and we have to work even harder to get it,” Mullins said.

Walshe pointed to specific changes the team can make to improve their performance in coming games. “One thing we need to work on is to pass the ball around better on offense and have more movement so we get open,” he said. Saunders also felt that the team had more work to accomplish. “I feel good about the outcome, but we definitely are not satisfied and want to improve throughout the season,” he said.

Overall though, the team was excited to start off on a such a strong note. “We are really happy to start the season out with two wins,” Walshe said.

Bear Polo will be playing Andover at home next Wednesday.