Author: Emily Daggett
The Women’s Water Polo wins against the University of La Verne and Middlebury College on Saturday, March 31 marked the end of a busy month for the team. In March, the women played 20 games against varying levels of competition. The team begins competition in April with a 12-12 record overall and 1-1 in official SCIAC play. In the remaining games this season the Tigers will face SCIAC teams in preparation for the Conference Championships in late April.
Though the Tigers have exceeded expectations so far this season, last week’s opening games against SCIAC teams help keep the team goals in perspective. On Wednesday, March 28, the Tigers fell 10-11 in double overtime to SCIAC rival Whittier College. Though the close loss was disappointing, Head Coach Larry Zubrin remains positive. “I was really proud of the way the girls stayed focused and never gave up,” Zubrin said. “We actually trailed the entire game, but we fought hard the whole way and as a coach you can never fault your team for giving their best effort.”
The Tigers took the lead for the first time with two minutes left in regulation but the Poets scored to tie the game at nine. In the first overtime, Whittier scored twice but Ashley Notti’s (sophomore) goal in the second overtime brought the Tigers within one point with thirty seconds left. However, the Poets were able to run out the clock for the win.
The match-up against Whittier was the team’s first home game of the season. Even though the crowd support was strong, the game pointed out Taylor Pool’s difficult playing conditions. “We’ve spent the last month or so in regulation size pools,” Notti said. “Our pool is much narrower and shorter.” The pool’s design influences the style of play. “The game can turn around so easily because of our shallow end cage,” Haley Rosehill (sophomore) said. Despite the tough facilities, the Whittier game proved the team’s readiness to make a statement to rest of the SCIAC. “We’ve still got a lot of work ahead of us,” Laura Simanonk (sophomore) said. “But I’m also looking forward to proving to everyone that our small 10 player team is a much bigger force than we look like.”
Saturday’s double header against La Verne and Middlebury provided the Tigers with another SCIAC match-up and more experience playing at home. The Tigers, who were missing one of their key players, defeated the Leopards 10-9 and Middlebury 14-6. Both games featured outstanding play by goalie Simanonok and Danielle Montenegro (junior). Simanonok ranks second in the nation in saves according to the most recent ranking by the Collegiate Water Polo Association. She added a single game high of 16 blocks against La Verne and 4 against Middlebury, brining her season total to 239. Montenegro, who ranks ninth nationally in scoring, added 11 goals in Saturday’s games, which brings her overall total to 61. Two other Tigers, Sara Boehler (sophomore) and Notti, are ranked 24 and 35 respectively.
While the national attention is exciting for the recognized individuals and the future of the program, the Tigers prefer to concentrate on the little things. The focus of practices has shifted from general conditioning to the fundamental skills of the game. “We focus on particular game preparation according to the team we will be playing next,” Boehler said. In terms of team spirit, the little things also make the biggest impact. Before the Whittier game, the team warmed up by dancing and playing games. “We’ve found that we play best and feel best if we keep things light-hearted and we just try to make sure we’re having a lot of fun,” Montenegro said. The strong sense of team has really carried the Tigers through the ups and downs of the season. “I feel our team has the skill and potential to be great once we put all the pieces of the puzzle together,” Boehler said. “I’m looking forward to that day when everything falls into place.”
Coach Zubrin also has high hopes for his team and feels success will come sooner rather than later. The Tigers have several tough games remaining this season but look forward to the challenges ahead. They take on the vastly improved Cal Lutheran team Saturday April 7, but their big game looks to be against the SCIAC defending champions CMS. The Tigers will take on the Athenas at home on Wednesday April 18.
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