|
ILLINOIS WATER POLO |
|
|
|
Sunday - May 16, 2004 GAME RECAPS
Final Thoughts From State III By Aaron Brown
Lincolnshire, IL -- What a way to finish the 2004 season! Farren Rixter's buzzer-beater to win state was a more dramatic finish than you could have scripted, and the crowd was in a state of pandemonium with the final result. From the stands or the benches you could not hear the buzzer sound, but from the table you could definitely hear that the shot was released in a split second before the horn.
Both teams played another amazing game, and McAuley looked like they would have a chance to win the game in their final possession, and if they could not score the teams would head to overtime. Enter Liz Perry in to the equation. She had already played a great game and has been the catalyst for the Friars all season long. She came out of nowhere for a steal to create the final frenzy of action, and ended up with the ball twice in the final twelve seconds before making the pass that helped setup the game-winning shot from Rixter.
The final day of the season was filled with close games. Fenwick held off New Trier 12-8, but the teams were scoreless until the final two minutes of the opening quarter and the score was 6-3 at halftime. Latin's late goal cut Stevenson's lead to 8-7, but the Patriots advanced to the final game with a close victory. In the first girls semifinal, Evanston had a chance to win until McAuley pulled away with a 13-9 win. And even though Fenwick eventually put away Naperville with an 11-3 victory, the Huskies only trailed 3-1 at halftime.
In the boys' third place game, Latin executed to near perfection in a 13-7 win over New Trier to get Tom Nystrom a win in is final game as coach of the Romans. The girls' third place was game went back and forth, as Evanston pulled away from Naperville North in the end for a 10-8 victory.
Those two games set the stage for two dramatic finals, as Stevenson gave Fenwick all they could handle before the Friars went on to win 11-9. The Patriots led 7-6 and 8-7 late in the third quarter, coming all the way back from a 3-0 deficit to start the game. The Friars scored two goals in the final minute of the third and Fenwick had a 9-8 lead. Trailing 10-8 in the final two minutes, Steve Michelau fired a shot directly at Fenwick goalie Dan Evon, and the ball bounced between his hands and into the net and the lead was only 10-9. Stevenson had one shot in the final minute for a chance to tie but couldn't connect, and Fenwick ended up drawing a four-meter penalty shot that Mark Melnyk scored on with 0:20 seconds left to seal an 11-9 win.
In Fenwick's two Saturday games, Mark Melnyk (against New Trier) and Kevin Kysiak (against Stevenson) were the stars. Luke Baldwin also contributed two early goals in the Stevenson game to help the Friars.
Another thing to note was the performance of two freshmen in the girls' final game. Alison Pavlik of Fenwick and Maggie Wood of Brother Rice both scored two goals and played incredible defense. With both teams graduating a handful of players after this season, these two will definitely be stars in the next few years in Illinois.
Of the goalies that played on Saturday, George Renfrew stood out as the most efficient in goal. Erin Foley was also solid for Fenwick, while both Lanier Zimmer of Evanston and Kelly McCann of Naperville North were equally impressive. All of these players should generate a ton of votes for All-State on Monday night.
Finally, what is the deal with the coverage in the major newspapers this morning? Not a whole lot of information.
|
|
AIM illpoloballer |
|
|
Copyright 2004. All Rights Reserved |