Water Polo Edges Out Loomis: Big Red Heads into NE Championships with 12-1 Record

Boys’ water polo continued to display its dominance this past weekend, beating Loomis Chaffee 8-7 at home. As a result, Bear Polo has now cemented its number two ranking going into Interschols.

The Exeter boys had been tracking Loomis’ record prior to the game, and slid into the pool understanding that their opponents would be tough to beat. “We knew they were going to be our closest competition yet,” co-captain and senior Liam Oakley said.

The boys went in with a solemn attitude, understanding that this would not be an easy win and that the team’s regional ranking was at stake. “We are normally a pretty rowdy and obnoxious team, but as we got closer and closer to Saturday, we got nervous,” Oakley said.

The captains helped to mitigate the nerves somewhat with their leadership. “We were nervous but the captains kept the team under control and we had confidence,” upper Avery Giles said.

However, the team had also faced a rough week of practice prior to the game and were missing two starters. “We knew this game was going to be a battle, from start to finish,” Oakley said.

“We are normally a pretty rowdy and obnoxious team, but as we got closer and closer to Saturday, we got nervous.”

Although Loomis showed their strength in the first quarter, things looked up for the Exeter boys from the second quarter. Starting the second quarter down 1-0, Bear Polo quickly picked it up, scoring early off a man-up play. The half ended with one of the goalies, senior and co-captain JP Mullins, pulling off a full court shot, an unusual move that “gave [the] team some extra momentum,” according to upper Taylor Walshe, causing the team to finish the half up 4-2.

Loomis switched strategies for the second half, utilizing a M-drop defense, but the Loomis boys were no match to Exeter’s tried and tested press defense. It was this defense, described by Oakley as “relentless,” that made the difference in the game. “Our defense was ultimately what won us the game,” Walshe said.

Exeter’s offense also proved to be formidable. Upper Harril Saunders managed to get three goals in a row in during the second half, sniping in from the perimeter of the pool to beat Loomis back.

Towards the end of the game, Bear Polo let down their guard, having secured their position. This allowed Loomis to come within a goal of the Exeter goals, leading to the final score of 8-7. Walshe noted that the team has had a tendency to become too complacent throughout the season. “This is no common occurrence as we have had this trouble in many of our past game,” he said. “Keeping up the intensity until the final whistle and not getting complacent is something we need to work on.”

With Bear Polo having played their last regular season game against Andover on Wednesday, the team is now fully focused on Interschols, hoping to beat Brunswick, the one team that managed to defeat them this season, to claim the New England title. Interschols will be held at Hotchkiss over E/a weekend, Nov. 12 through Nov. 13.