vs. Westside

Last Wednesday, the girls successfully fended off the Westside Wolves in the Emmons Natatorium with a squeaker of a 6-5 victory. Six goals from six different scorers shows the increased level of heads-up play and teamwork the Spartans are bringing to their game. Sophomore Elizabeth Conner marked the first goal on a tenacious rebound from her own shot off a senior co-captain steal by Emma Jackson. Sophomore swim-off expert Molly Kate Minyard popped one inside for a senior co-captain Lily Askounis goal making it 2-2 top of the second period. Also in the first half, Conner found Minyard for a goal, and junior Avery Garcia made her own magic to score inside.

The second half dawned with a patient pass from Askounis to junior Hana Riley for a beautiful tap-in. Jackson finished out the scoring for the Spartans with her signature 5-meter penalty skip shot. 6-3 Stratford.

But wait, there was an entire quarter to go. And the Wolves took full advantage. Between lost opportunities, forced turnovers and misplays throughout the period, the score was 6-5 with :12 to go. One blip in an otherwise outstanding performance by sophomore goalie Emmie Hanvey required power and the ability to backstroke the equivalent of a TISCA cut-time to get back into goal and block the shot to save the game. In all, Hanvey had more than 15 goalie saves including some jaw-dropping, nat-shaking monster blocks.

vs. George Ranch

This past Friday, Stratford’s tough defense held off a late run by the George Ranch Longhorns to claim a 11-9 win for the Spartans. This game saw excellent teamwork among the Spartans, and Sophomore goalie Emmie Hanvey helped seal the deal with 4 crucial blocks in the cage.

During the first quarter, the Spartans demonstrated great passing and were able to score 3 quick goals with the first by Senior co-captain Emma Jackson on a great assist from Sophomore Molly Kate Minyard. That wasn’t enough for Jackson, so she took the ball all the way down the pool on a fast-break and added her second score. Jackson helped close out the first quarter with an assist to Junior Hana Riley for a hard-fought goal.

The Spartans kept up the pressure in the 2nd quarter led by back-to-back scores from Sophomore Elizabeth Conner, a pair of scores from Riley, and Jackson with her third score of the match.

In the second half, the Longhorns came out more aggressive and closed the gap to 8-6. Coach McCommons called a time out, and the girls were able to re-strategize and close out with a much-needed goal by Minyard on a great assist by Junior Avery Garcia.

The Longhorns would not go away easily and started the fourth quarter off with two quick goals to bring the lead down to 1, but the Spartans rebounded with tough defense and great intensity from Sophomores Leah Claire Nall and Minyard. To close out the match,  Sophomore Lilly Oteiza found Riley for a score, and Conner had a coast-to-coast, fast-break goal to clinch the victory.

The Spartan Girls Water Polo Team begins District play this Friday against Memorial at the W. W. Emmons Natatorium. JV plays at 4:30 pm and Varsity at 6 pm.

Please also come support the Varsity girls on Saturday morning vs. the Lamar Texans at 8 am and the Foster Falcons at 11:20 am at the SBISD Invitational Tournament.