Wopo Finishes Strong in Double-Header

Girls’ Varsity Water Polo made a splash at Choate Rosemary Hall on Saturday, playing two difficult games and performing well. Facing off first against Williston Northampton School, the team suffered a painfully close loss at 5–6, but came back quickly to take down Choate for a 8–5 victory. 

Although Choate and Exeter both brought immense talent to the pool, Big Red ultimately reigned victorious. “Choate also had great skills,” lower Ursie Wise remarked, “but we definitely outmatched them.” 

Senior Sam Gove added, “We couldn’t really find our rhythm when we played Williston, but once we did, we were able to play a lot better against Choate.” Gove was especially impressed by Wise’s ability to move quickly between positions and still succeed—something she believe greatly assisted the team against Choate. “Our coach had her in a ton of different positions during the game and she played really well in all of them,” Gove said. “She’s a really flexible player, which is awesome to have on the team.” Wise was equally appreciative of Gove’s play, highlighting her “many steals” and all around defensive skill during the game.

Wise also commented on her sister senior Issy Wise’s effort throughout the day, stating that “she put up a good fight in the whole set.”

In contrast, Big Red’s loss against Williston may have stemmed from the strong rivalry between the two teams. The team believed that although they have the skills to defeat Williston, the game “got in their heads a bit,” as Senior Gabby Allen put it. Ursie agreed, stating that “Williston is a very skilled team.” “We fought a great game against them,” lower Avery Napier added. “Our offense wasn’t quite up to our normal standard, but our defense played great,” Napier said. However, any mistakes the team made in its first match were quickly amended by the time the second game began.

The team’s emphasis on offensive plays this week in practice undoubtedly made their victory against Choate easier. “We’ve been preparing through practicing our shooting and front court offensive plays,” Allen said. However, this team’s strength on the offensive end in no way detracts from their skills in the defense, especially when it comes to the goal. 

Team members were quick to praise senior Ela Ferhangil, who was back in the net for the first time since her concussion. “As it was her first game coming back, [and] she did really well,” Allen stated. Gove agreed, saying that Ferhangil is without a doubt “one of the best goalies we’ve ever had.”

The team will take on Loomis Chaffee at home this Saturday, where it will look to add another win to its record.