The tournament with the best name in Texas was held this weekend: the Ben Garcia Memorial Purple Monkey featured 8 sets of teams in pool-style play around the south Houston area.

vs. Deer Park

Stratford girls started the tourney with an unsuccessful match-up against Deer Park. A highlight of the game would be the 10 saves by sophomore goalie Emmie Hanvey.

vs. Shadow Creek

The second game of the night was a nail-biter against home team Shadow Creek in their impressive “Shark Tank”. The Spartans took the early 1-0 lead with a nice outside shot by sophomore Elizabeth Conner on a heads-up assist from senior co-captain Lily Askounis. Then the wheels got a little wobbly with three quick goals by the Sharks. At 1-3 with Shadow Creek up in the second quarter, junior Hana Riley made a heads-up goal on a rebound and senior co-captain Emma Jackson brought the score to 3-3 with her signature skip shot on a 5-meter penalty. Hana Riley pushed the scored to 4-3 in the third with a nice shot off a steal from junior Sarah Beth Roady. Riley scored her third for a hat trick off a long pass from Jackson in the fourth. Emma Jackson closed out the game with a 5-meter penalty shot at :07. Additional strong defense and hustle came from junior Avery Garcia, senior Lindsay Wong, and sophomores Molly Kate Minyard and LC Nall. More monster blocks from Emmie Hanvey in the cage. Final Stratford 6, Shadow Creek 5

vs. Langham Creek

The girls were back at the Shark Tank early Saturday morning to face the #2 team from the Red Pool representing Cypress Fairbanks ISD: Langham Creek. The pace was quick from the start with Elizabeth Conner and Emma Jackson each forcing turnovers, but the team couldn’t convert the effort into points; the Lobos got on the board first with a lovely lob from beyond the 10-foot line. Two goals from Lily Askounis and another from Molly Kate Minyard, with assists from Askounis, Minyard, and Hana Riley brought the score to 3-3 at the half. Elizabeth Conner pushed the Spartans ahead 4-3 with a muscle-shot from 5 meters with :20 left in the third. The final goal of the game came from Minyard on a sweet pass from Askounis. More than a handful of wild shots by the Lobos played into the win. So did GREAT teamwork and hustle by Emma Jackson, Avery Garcia, Sarah Beth Roady, LC Nall, and fine goalie play by Emmie Hanvey.

Final: Stratford 5, Langham Creek 3. Ending the Purple Monkey with a 2 and 1 record.

Next up: Stratford plays Westside on Wednesday at 5:30 pm. Mark your calendars and get a seat for the show Friday, September 8 -- it’s the first faceoff against Memorial. The girls play at 6:15 pm at the Emmons Natatorium.

Finally, the Spartan Aquatics Team - Water Polo/Swim/Dive - is selling poinsettias for the holidays. The deadline to order is September 25. Contact a swimmer near you!