The Girls Water Polo Team’s season-opening blitz of tournaments got off to an amazing start at the 3rd Annual CFISD Varsity Water Polo Tournament, seeing the Spartans finish in 5th place against some of the most elite teams in the state - the squad finished 14th at the same tournament last year. The team had three pool games on Friday followed by two placement games on Saturday.

vs. The Woodlands:

Game 1 set the team up for a successful run – The Woodlands was unable to contain a Spartan offense that came out on fire. The first quarter alone saw a flurry of Spartan goals from Hana Riley (4), Elizabeth Conner (2), and Avery Garcia, Elle Burke, and Molly Kate Minyard (1 each). Minyard tacked on another goal in the second quarter, and the Spartans headed into halftime up 10-0. The Spartans kept their foot on the gas in the second half with Burke adding three goals in the third and Luisa Arreola finishing the scoring with a strong goal set up by Leah Claire Nall’s great assist. Final – Stratford 14, The Woodlands 3

vs. Cypress Creek:

Game 2 saw the Spartans face off against Cypress Creek, and last year’s Regional Finalist provided a significant challenge. Despite tight defense and brilliance in the goal from Keeper Emmie Hanvey, Cypress Creek raced to a four-goal lead before Conner opened the Stratford scoring, converting on a great assist from Minyard. Nall took advantage of a player advantage to find Conner for another goal in the second, but the Spartans were facing an uphill battle at halftime. Garcia contributed two goals in the third quarter to help close the gap, with assists from Riley and Sarah Beth Roady. In the last quarter, Riley set Minyard up for a tough goal, and Burke found the back of the net, but it wasn’t enough to catch the flying Cypress Creek team. Final – Stratford 6, Cypress Creek 16

vs. Cypress Ranch:

Cypress Ranch presented just as tough of a matchup. All the aggressive defense that the Spartans were able to muster just wasn’t enough to stop a hardened Cypress Ranch team that reached the Regional Semifinals last year. Great stops from Hanvey in the goal couldn’t keep the score close, and Garcia’s goal in the second quarter was the only time the Spartans were able to find the back of the net. Final – Stratford 1, Cypress Ranch 11

vs. Conroe:

The Spartans came back ready to play early Saturday morning facing a strong Conroe crew. The teams traded goals in the first quarter with Riley striking first and Conner adding two more goals set up by beautiful assists from Roady and Garcia. Conner and Garcia teamed up again in the second to extend the lead. Then, with one second left on the clock, Hanvey launched a shot from half-pool that arched just out of the Conroe keeper’s reach to prove she doesn’t just stop goals, she can score them too. Spartans were up 5-3 at the half.

Emily Pace made great plays to score a highly contested goal in front of the goal to extend the lead in the third quarter. Garcia and Minyard capped off scoring in the fourth quarter to seal the deal. Final – Stratford 8, Conroe 5

vs. Cypress Woods:

The 5th Place game was a defensive battle, with both teams showing tough, aggressive play when out of possession. Hanvey came up huge to block a Cypress Woods penalty shot in the first quarter. Garcia evened the score at one apiece going into the half off a perfect assist from Pace. The intensity ramped up in the second half with punishing defense being played by all the Spartans, especially Nall, who had a vital steal. Conner converted Riley’s assist to keep the score tied 2-2 going into the final quarter. Riley took the lead with a wonderful goal set up by Minyard’s pass, but Cypress Woods managed to equalize. The Spartans sealed the win with less than a minute remaining - Conner looked to have drawn a potentially game winning penalty shot, but when the officials failed to stop play, she cleverly fired the ball to a sprinting Minyard, who powered home the game winner. Final – Stratford 4, Cypress Woods 3

The tournament was a huge success and depended on outstanding effort from all Spartans across all five games, including vital offensive and defensive contributions when the team needed them from Bella Smith, Audrey Bown, Jill Hyland, Charlotte Moore, Paige Buri, Claire and Caroline Culbertson, and Abby Middlebrooks.

Next Up: The Spartans hit the pool in Tomball to face Tomball Memorial on Tuesday (August 20th) and then head to the Dallas area Thursday (August 22nd) for the 2024 Texas Cup, where the squad will compete against some of the top teams from North Texas. The Girls will play two games each day on Thursday and Friday, with the final game Saturday.