Enumclaw Beats Auburn Riverside in Overtime

photo courtesy Brenda Sexton

The EHS Girls Water Polo Team held off a determined Auburn Riverside team on Monday for a 6-5 overtime win, to improve the Hornets' record to 15-1, and 9-0 in league play.

The Ravens got on the scoreboard first when Kate Wallen scored four minutes into the opening quarter, but Enumclaw tied it up when Allie Larrea scored with 16 seconds remaining.

Allie and Katie Larrea each scored in the second period, to give the Hornets a 3-2 advantage at halftime.

Neither team scored in the third quarter, but Allie and Katie Larrea each scored in the first three minutes of the final period, to give the Hornets a 5-2 advantage.  The Ravens fought back, scoring two goals in the next minute, for a 5-4 Hornet lead with two minutes remaining.  The two teams traded scoreless possessions until Wallen scored for the Ravens with 11 seconds remaining, to put the game into overtime.

Neither team scored in the first three-minute overtime period, and Allie Larrea scored for the Hornets with 53 seconds remaining in the second overtime for the final 6-5 outcome.

Allie Larrea scored four goals, and Katie Larrea scored two for the Hornets.  Goalkeeper Megan Lesmeister had 10 saves.

The Hornets travel to Gig Harbor on Thursday to face Peninsula, and play at Auburn on Friday.

Late Season Schedule Changes

As the Hornets approach the State tournament, scheduled from May 16-19, we have had several changes to game times during the last two weeks of the regular season.

The Hornets have six regular season games remaining, four of which are East Division games:

Monday, April 30 Auburn Riverside (E) 7:30
Thursday, May 3 @ Peninsula (E) 3:30
Friday, May 4 @ Auburn (E) 7:30
Monday, May 7  Auburn Mountainview (E) 7:30
Tuesday, May 8 @ Wilson (NL) 5:30
Thursday, May 10 Puyallup (NL) 4:30

The Hornets are currently in first place in the East Division, with an 8-0 league record, 14-1 overall.  The State tournament begins on Wednesday, May 16. at Rogers High School in Puyallup, and Lakes High School in Lakewood.  The tournament continues on Friday and Saturday, May 18 & 19, at Curtis High School, in University Place.

Saturday's Auburn Game Cancelled

The Girls Water Polo League Commissioner has posted the following announcement:

"Due to the Auburn School District swimming pool flooding last night, the games scheduled for Saturday April 28, at the Auburn School District swimming pool are cancelled:

Saturday, April 28, 2012 Enumclaw @ Auburn 2:00 p.m. warm-up KR/KW @ Auburn Mountainview 4:00 p.m. warm-up

Rescheduled for the following:

Friday, May 4, 2012 Enumclaw @ Auburn 7:00 p.m. warm-up

Wednesday, May 2, 2012 KR/KW @ Auburn Mountainview 7:30 p.m. warm-up."

We are pursuing the opportunity to play earlier in the week.

Hornets Improve to 14-1, 8-0 League

The Enumclaw Girls Water Polo Team improved their league record to 8-0, 14-1 overall on Thursday with a 13-2 win over Kentridge at the Enumclaw Aquatic Center.

Katie Larrea led all scorers, with five goals for the Hornets.  Senior captain Annie Birklid added four, Allie Larrea scored two, senior captain Hannah Kinniburgh scored one, and goalkeeper Megan Lesmeister scored one.  Lesmeister also tallied seven saves.

The Hornets have six games remaining in the regular season – at Auburn on Saturday, against Auburn Riverside on Monday, and at Peninsula on Thursday.  The Hornets host Auburn Mountainview on Monday, May 7, travel to Wilson on Wednesday, May 9, and host Puyallup in the final game of the regular season on Thursday, May 10.

The State Water Polo Championships begins on Wednesday, May 16, and concludes on Saturday, May 19.

Gig Harbor Water Polo Offers Clinic

The Gig Harbor Water Polo Club is hosting a 5-Meter Water Polo Camp this Sunday, April 29, at the Peninsula High School Pool.  The clinic will be taught by UCSB coach John Abdou, and will start at noon and finish at 6:00 p.m.

Click here for more information.

Hornets Beat Defending State Champions

The Enumclaw High School Girls Water Polo Team beat the Gig Harbor Tides 6-5 on Wednesday, April 25 in what could turn out to be a preview of a possible State Championship matchup.  Gig Harbor has beaten Curtis both of the past two years for the State Championship.

Twin sisters Allie and Katie Larrea each scored a goal for the Hornets in the opening quarter against the defending State Champions, while Gig Harbor's Elyanna McCullough scored one, giving Enumclaw a 2-1 advantage after one period.  Allie added two, and Katie scored one, in the second quarter, and Julia Ponce scored one for the Tides, for a 5-2 Enumclaw lead at halftime.

Annie Birklid added one for the Hornets, and Ponce scored one for Gig Harbor, in the third period, for a 6-3 Hornet lead going into the final quarter.

Both teams were scoreless for the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, when Ponce scored with 1:47 left to bring the Tides within two.  Gig Harbor scored again with 26 seconds left to get within one.  The Hornets tried to stall at the end, but Gig Harbor regained possession with two seconds left.  The Tides called time-out to advance the ball, but couldn't get a last-second shot off before the final buzzer, and Enumclaw held on for the win.

The Hornets continue league play on Thursday, hosting Kentridge, and travel to Auburn on Saturday.

Enumclaw is in first place in the East Division, with a 7-0 league record.  The Hornets are 13-1 overall.

See the Peninsula Gateway's coverage of the game here.

Enumclaw Keeps Winning

The Enumclaw High School Girls Water Polo Team continued their winning ways with a 14-4 win over Curtis on Thursday at the Curtis Pool. This was the Hornets' second win over the Vikings in the past five days. Prior to Sunday's win, the Hornets had never beaten Curtis in the 14 year history of the Enumclaw water polo program.

In Thursday's win, the Hornets took a 2-1 first quarter lead, and stretched it to a 7-2 halftime advantage. Enumclaw added a goal in the third period to take an 8-2 lead into the final quarter, and outscored the Vikings 6-2 in the fourth quarter, for a final 14-4 score.

Katie Larrea led all scorers with seven goals. Hannah Kinniburgh scored three, and Allie Larrea scored two. Annie Birklid and Haley Sonneson each scored one. Goalkeeper Megan Lesmeister had 15 saves in the Hornet win.

The Hornets return to league play next week with a Tuesday game against Bonney Lake/Sumner, and travel to Gig Harbor on Wednesday to face the defending State champion Gig Harbor Tides in a non-league match. The Hornets then have league games on Thursday and Saturday, against Kentridge and Auburn.

The Hornets are in first place in the East Division with a 6-0 record, and are 11-1 overall.

Hornets Finish Third at PSP Spring Invitational

The Enumclaw Hornets Girls Water Polo Team won two more games on Sunday, the final day of the PSP Spring Invitational Tournament, to earn third place at the tournament, and improve their season record to 10-1.

The Hornets beat Auburn Riverside 15-4 on Friday, the opening day of the tournament. In Saturday's competition the Hornets lost 2-14 to the eventual champion, Chehalem, and followed that up with an 11-5 win over Mercer Island. Sunday's action saw the Hornets beat host Curtis, 11-4, and Wilson 13-5.

In Sunday's game against Curtis, the Hornets got off to a slow start, with both teams scoreless for the first four and a half minutes of action, until Katie Larrea scored for the Hornets, giving Enumclaw a 1-0 lead at the end of the first period. Both teams scored two goals in the second quarter, and Enumclaw held a 3-2 advantage at halftime.

Enumclaw outscored the Vikings 4-1 in each of the final two quarters, for the final 11-4 margin. Katie Larrea led all scorers, with seven goals. Haley Sonneson scored two, and Bella Davenport and Annie Birklid added a goal each. Goalkeeper Megan Lesmeister had 11 saves.

Against Wilson, the Hornets had an even slower start, with the Rams earning a 2-0 lead over the Hornets in the first five minutes. Katie Larrea broke Enumclaw's scoring drought late in the opening period, and Bailey Sexton tied the game in the first minute of the second quarter.

The Hornets added six goals in the next period and a half, and held Wilson scoreless until the last two minutes of the third period, and took a 10-3 lead into the final quarter of the game. The Hornets added three more, and the Rams scored two in the final period, for the final 13-5 score.

Katie Larrea led all scorers against Wilson, too, with six goals. Allie Larrea scored three, Annie Birklid scored two, and Sexton and Bella Davenport added a goal apiece. Lesmeister earned seven saves.

The Hornets now have a 10-1 regular season record, with a 6-0 league record, and return to University Place to face Curtis again on Thursday. Sunday's win against Curtis was the first time an Enumclaw water polo team has beaten Curtis in the EHS program's 12 year history

Lady Hornets Open Tournament With Win

Enumclaw High School's Girls Water Polo Team opened the Puget Sound Polo Spring Invitational with a 15-4 win over Auburn Riverside Friday evening at Lakes High School.

The game was a non-league rematch between two teams that played on Tuesday at Riverside's home pool, that the Hornets won 6-3.

Scoring for Enumclaw were Katie Larrea, with five goals, Allie Larrea with three, Hannah Kinniburgh, Bella Davenport, and Haley Sonneson, with two goals each, and Annie Birklid with one. For Auburn Riverside – Marissa Rydzewski scored two, and Kate Wallen and Kari Helm scored one apiece.

The Hornets travel to University Place, WA on Saturday and Sunday to continue the tournament at Curtis High School. On Saturday the Hornets face the Chehalem, OR team at noon, and Mercer Island at 3:00. Sunday the Hornets take on the Curtis Vikings at 8:00 a.m., and a team to be determined later in the day.

Enumclaw Continues Unbeaten Streak

The EHS Girls Water Polo Team continued their unbeaten streak in league play on Thursday with a win over the visiting Peninsula Seahawks; the Hornets are now 6-0 in league play and are in first place in the East Division of the Girls Water Polo League.

Senior center Annie Birklid put the Hornets on the scoreboard early, scoring two goals in the first period, and a third in the first minute of play of the second quarter. Katie Larrea added two later in the second period, and the Hornets held a 5-0 advantage at halftime.

Katie Larrea added two in the third quarter, while Birklid, Bailey Sexton, and Allie Larrea each score one, and Enumclaw had a 10-0 lead going into the final period. In the fourth quarter Katie Larrea added two, and Birklid knocked in one more, but Peninsula's Adrienne Storey scored one, to spoil the shutout. Hornet goalkeeper had 11 saves in the win.

The Hornet defense led the way again, with a pressing defense that earned 18 steals. Hannah Kinniburgh had six, and Allie Larrea had five.

Scoring for Enumclaw were Katie Larrea, with six goals, Annie Birklid with five, and Allie Larrea and Bailey Sexton with one goal each.

The Hornets take part in this weekend's Puget Sound Polo Tournament, held at Lakes High School on Friday, and Curtis High School on Saturday and Sunday. Enumclaw faces Auburn Riverside at 7:00 Friday, Chehalem at noon on Saturday, and Mercer Island at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Hornets face Curtis at 8:00 a.m. Sunday, and an opponent to be determined later on Sunday.

Hornets Improve to 5-0 with Win Over Riverside

The Enumclaw High School Girls Water Polo Team improved their league record to 5-0 with a hard fought win over Auburn Riverside on Tuesday, April 10, at the Auburn Pool.

The Hornets got off to a quick lead over the Ravens, with a 2-0 lead after two and a half minutes of play. Enumclaw added two more goals before the end of the first quarter, to take a 4-0 advantage into the second quarter. The Ravens' defense tightened, and held the Hornets scoreless in the second and third quarters, while adding one goal in the second quarter, and two in the third, going into the final period with the Hornets holding a thin 4-3 lead.

Enumclaw played inspired offense in the final quarter, adding two goals, while shutting down the Raven offense, giving the Hornets the 6-3 win.

Scoring for Enumclaw in the win were: Annie Birklid with two goals, and Hannah Kinniburgh, Allie Larrea, Katie Larrea, and Bella Davenport with one goal each. Karlee Rogers scored all three goals for the Ravens.

The Hornets host Peninsula on Thursday, April 12, in a battle for first place in the East Division. Peninsula is 4-1 in league play.

Schedule Changes For PSP Tournament

Due to Emerald Ridge dropping out of the Puget Sound Polo Tournament, the schedule of the tournament has been changed. The tournament has been changed from four groups of three teams, to two groups of five.

The Hornets' first game has been changed from 6:00 Friday to 7:00, and is now against Auburn Riverside instead of Wilson. Enumclaw's second game will be at noon on Saturday, against Chehalem, OR, and their third game will be at 3:00 against Mercer Island.

On Sunday the Hornets play Curtis at 8:00 a.m. Enumclaw's fifth game of the tournament will be determined by their placement in Group play. Fifth place of Group A will play fifth place of Group B at 1:30, fourth place teams will play at 2:30, third place at 3:30, and second place at 4:30. The first place teams will play the championship game at 5:30.

Friday's games will be played at Lakes High School; Saturday's and Sunday's games will be at Curtis High School

Puget Sound Polo Tournament Schedule Announced

Puget Sound Polo has announced the schedule for their Spring Girls Tournament, held April 13-15 at Lakes High School and Curtis High School. 12 teams will participate, including two teams from Oregon. In addition to Enumclaw, the following teams will take part: Lakes, Curtis, Mercer Island, Chehalem, Willamette Valley, Auburn Riverside, Auburn Mountainview, Emerald Ridge, Wilson, Newport, and Puget Sound Polo.

Tournament rule variations include one full, and one 30 second timeout, running time with six goal or more lead, and ties will be broken with shootout.

All games on Friday will be played at the Lakes High School Pool, in Lakewood, WA. Saturday and Sunday games will be played at the Curtis High School Pool, in University Place, WA.

The Hornets' first game will be against Wilson on Friday, at 6:00 p.m. Enumclaw's second game will be at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, against Puget Sound Polo. Subsequent game times will be determined by the results of earlier games.