10/27/24 Highlight: Boys’ Varsity Water Polo

Courtesy of @exeterbearpolo

By JAYDEN OH, WILLIAM SHU, and FORREST ZENG

Exeter’s boys’ varsity water polo team sealed off their 10th win this season in a dominant 20-11 match against St. John’s Prep on Wednesday, Oct. 9.

Prep Owen Lee described the momentum entering the game: “We were in a very good mood, and played quite well. We beat them by quite a landslide.”

The team kicked off the first quarter with possession, scoring three goals within two minutes. The teams traded goals for the next few minutes, with Exeter ending the first quarter with a 7-3 lead. Lee emphasized the team’s increasing concentration throughout the game. “Toward the beginning, it was close, because we were sort of fooling around. However, towards the end, it was quite jolly,” he said. 

St. John’s started the second quarter by scoring twice. Exeter responded by increasing the score to 8-5. St. John’s scored a five-meter shot after, but Exeter proceeded to punish the opposing team with four consecutive goals, ending the quarter at 12-6. The team proceeded into halftime with high spirits. 

Almost immediately into the second half, Exeter scored an impressive 10-yard shot on the shot clock and a fast sprinting goal. Offensive players and uppers Andrew Gao and James Faulhaber sent off a series of acrobatic shots to finish the quarter at 20-9.

In the fourth quarter, Exeter’s defense stalled St. John’s. However, even with the lack of further firepower down the line, the formidable 11-point lead Big Red had built up over the past three quarters guided them to victory. By the time the buzzer went off, they had conceded two more points, but still finished the game in a 20-11 triumph.

Lee concluded, “We just need to work on some team tactics, but other than that, we’re pretty set for the rest of the year.”