Boys’ Water Polo Decimates Deerfield
Boys’ Varsity Water Polo added another victory to an already strong season last Saturday afternoon. The team swept Deerfield Academy 18-6 in an away game, bringing its record to 10 wins and one loss.
The team walked onto the pool deck expecting to have control of the game. “We knew going into the game that Deerfield was a weaker team and aimed to use this opportunity to practice some more advanced strategies that we’ve been working on in practice,” upper Nick Garey said. “This game also gave our bench a lot of playing time, where they demonstrated the depth of the team’s talent.”
However, the team’s strategy changed as the game progressed. “Our primary goal during the game was to lock [Deerfield] down on defense and prevent as many goals as possible,” prep Dax Knoll said. “After the first quarter, we were able to see Deerfield’s play style, so we began leaving early from defense to offense for a swift breakaway, which worked very well.”
Later in the game, the team employed a “fast break tactic.” “We tried to set up more offensively-minded and took every opportunity we could to get down the pool and score a goal,” senior Andrew Benson said.
The game also included several special moments. “One standout moment was when our coach put in our goalie, Aidan O’Brien, as a field player,” prep Dax Knoll said. “He played really well on offense and defense.”
In fact, upper O’Brien was even able to find the back of the net. “Our backup goalie passed the ball to [O’Brien], who was on the field for the second half and scored a goal,” Benson said. “It was a goal from a goalie, assisted from the goalie! How many other teams have that happen? Pure dominance.”
Big Red found success all around during the game. Team newcomer Knoll got in on the goal scoring as well. “For sure, Dax’s backhand near the end silenced our opponent and got all of us cheering like crazy,” upper Dave Mancini said.
Looking ahead, the team is eager to play against the Loomis Chaffee School on Saturday. “[It] will be a close game. We are both pretty equal in skill level, so we will need to be playing our best,” Knoll said. “We will mostly be focusing on ‘lockdown’ defense going in … and being able to get very high out of the water on offense.”
The team pointed out some areas of focus that players intend to address before the next game. “I think our goals are to be more aware, so that when the ball is passed to us, we know where it is and who we can pass it to,” upper Adam Tuchler said. “I only took three shots this game, when I had many more opportunities to do so. Personally, I can improve by being more aggressive. But that’s just a personal point of improvement.”
After a decisive victory, the team will be riding high into their next game. “The Doors were shut,” upper Aidan O’Brien said. “The game went great, and we need to take the same energy into Loomis on Saturday … we will focus our defense to shut the Pelicans down … and prepare for the Liquid 4.”