Water Polo Takes Down Deerfield

Bear Polo defeated Deerfield 11-7 last weekend at home in a thrilling match, ending a five-year string of losses to the school. Exeter’s boys overcame some initial setbacks and dominated with the help of their strong defense.

The team had almost two weeks to prepare for this game, and as a result were positive and confident in their abilities. “We felt very strong going into the game,” senior and co-captain JP Mullins said.

The team got ahead early on. “We did very well in the first few quarters and played a solid game,” upper Jackson Parell said. Mullins highlighted Parell’s goal in the first 22 seconds of the match to show how the Exeter boys dominated early on. By the end of the first half, the team was up 4-1.

Although Exeter had to eject some key players as a result of foul trouble, the bench players proved to be up to the challenge, carrying the team to their victory.

Team members highlighted their defense as the deciding factor in the match. Upper Taylor Walshe explained how their defense allowed for a strong offense, and how the team managed to push back Deerfield. “For most of the game we made it really hard for them to score and our tough defense led to many offensive opportunities,” he said. “We had a lot of great team goals that came from moving the Deerfield defense.”

“We had a lot of great team goals that came from moving the Deerfield defense.”

Mullins agreed with Walshe’s assessment, and further highlighted the team’s “lockdown defense” and their ability to “[force] the other team to make little mistakes which resulted in goals.”

Walshe also highlighted the team’s depth as an asset. “I would say that we have a very well rounded team without a star player, which makes us all a threat,” he said.

The Deerfield team’s strength made the victory sweeter for the boys. “[It’s a] big win. They have always been a tough team to beat and we really worked well together,” Mullins said.

Walshe agreed, explaining how this game served to end Deerfield’s five-year winning streak against Exeter. “We feel great about the win because this is the first time in five years that we have beaten Deerfield,” he said.

As the game was played over Family Weekend, Bear Polo enjoyed a larger audience than normal. “It was also great to have the stands packed with parents,” Walshe said.

Although the boys were pleased with their success, they continue to look onwards and improve to ensure that they will be at peak performance for Interschols. “We are pretty happy with the outcome. [There is] still lots of work to be done if we want to win the championship,” Mullins said.

Bear Polo will next play Loomis Chaffee at home on Saturday.