Girls water polo: Fenwick prevails in Prospect's first state appearance
Prospect's season ended with a loss, but it most certainly did not end with any shame.
The Mid-Suburban East champs saw their season come to an end in a 9-3 loss to defending state champion Fenwick on Thursday in the girls water polo state quarterfinals at Stevenson.
Fenwick (25-6-1) advances to meet Naperville Central (32-2) in a rematch of last year's state championship game, which took overtime to decide.
The low score provided confirmation of Prospect defensive skill. The main different in the outcomes was Fenwick's 3-0 scoring edge in the second quarter.
"Going into this game," said Prospect coach Natalie Tucker, "we knew Fenwick was a strong, fast team, and that we would have to fall back on our strong defense. They got away from us in the second, but we refocused and held them to 9."
Prospect finishes with a program record for wins in a season, a 23-7 record and appreciation for a fine group of seniors largely responsible for blazing the trail to the team's first appearance in the Elite Eight.
"Of course I would have liked to win," said Tucker, "but overall we held our own against last year's state champs. The team feels that is quite an accomplishment. It was amazing to have the East Division water polo community and the Prospect family cheering us on all week, and I know they'll be proud of our first state performance. We are looking forward to another."
Senior co-captains Gracie Dix and Megan Pfeiffer had 1 goal apiece, and junior Colleen Doyle also scored. Senior goalie Mary Clare McAleer, also a co-captain, stopped 14 shots, and Ann Fulk, Kate Colehour and Dix each had an assist.
Dix, who finished second on the Knights' all-time leading scorer list, had a team-high 7 steals and Pfeiffer had 4.
Kelly Frumpkin led Fenwick with 4 goals and Molly McGuire had 2.
In the last two quarterfinals, Stevenson handled St. Ignatius 20-9, while Mother McAuley topped Lincoln-Way Central 14-7.
The Patriots (32-2) and Mighty Macs (25-6) play their semifinal at 10:15 a.m. Saturday, following the 9 a.m. Fenwick vs. Naperville Central game.