Boys water polo: Offense clicks for St. Charles East vs. Schaumburg
Winners of just five games two years ago, St. Charles East's boys water polo squad has been on the rise ever since.
A year ago, coach Tim O'Grady's team made a 5-game improvement with its 10-7 finish.
The arrow has continued pointing upward this season.
Seniors Andrew Roberge and Ethan Braham combined for 11 goals during the Saints' 13-8 victory over Schaumburg Wednesday night at the Norris Recreation Center in St. Charles.
With the win, the Saints improved their record to 15-6 heading into their final two regular-season matches next week.
"We had high hopes going into the season," said Roberge, who got the Saints on the board first off a feed from John Ortlund just 1 ½ minutes into the opening quarter. "We brought our offense back and we've been with most of the guys starting from JV a few years ago so the team chemistry is there.
"I've been proud of our season so far. We've been working well all season."
After the Saxons' Tyler Gustafson tied the score 15 seconds later, the Saints grabbed the lead for good on a straight-on shot by John Tarpey. Braham followed with the first of his 5 tallies a few moments later for a 3-1 lead.
The second quarter belonged to the Saints, who outscored the Saxons (5-19) 4-2 thanks in large part to Roberge's offensive prowess.
The 5-foot-10, 145-pounder displayed a variety of skills around the net, highlighted by his blind backward shot that extended the Saints' lead to 5-2 early in the quarter.
"You just have to know where you are in the pool," said Roberge, who finished with 6 goals. "My teammates really helped me out, giving me some good passes in spots."
"He has a really good shot," O'Grady said of Roberge. "He knows where to shoot it. People don't necessarily know it's coming because he's kind of a smaller kid. He's a real talented kid with a quick shot."
Ahead 7-4 at halftime, the Saints' defense focused its attention on Gustafson, who recorded 3 of the Saxons' 4 first-half goals.
"We had to adjust," said O'Grady. "We talked about not fouling outside the five. We fouled them a couple times in the beginning, which gave them a free shot. If he's inside the five, go ahead and foul him because he has to pass it out."
After Schaumburg cut its deficit to 8-6 on a goal by Darius Lewis midway through the third quarter, the Saints pulled away with 3 unanswered goals while holding the Saxons scoreless for more than 9 minutes.
The Saints are now preparing for the postseason (begins the week of May 9).
"We haven't won a sectional game in a while now so we're hoping to pull off an upset this season," said Roberge.
Gustafson finished with 4 goals for Schaumburg.
"We have a real young team," said Saxons coach Adam Koschnitzke. "I've got a great group of sophomores that I'm looking for in the future. I'm proud of the progress we've made. Look out for us in the next year or two."