Lejeune returns to lead Wildcats

Senior Danny Lejeune did not play Friday during a pair of victories for the Libertyville water polo team.

Lejeune, a four-year starter, needed to rest his right arm, which had been giving him trouble of late.

It certainly appeared as if he was 100 percent Saturday.

Lejeune scored 3 goals to help the Wildcats post an easier than expected 8-3 victory over Barrington in the Lake County tournament at Vernon Hills.

The Wildcats went 3-1 in the tournament and secured third place. Barrington finished in fourth.

"The key change today was that Danny Lejeune was back," said Libertyville assistant coach Sara Rogers. "He's very consistent and a key element for our team."

Lejeune and Libertyville (4-3) were at their best in the second quarter. The Wildcats trailed 2-1 after one quarter, and they proceeded to score 4 consecutive goals to take a 5-2 halftime advantage.

A goal by Lejeune off a pass from Peter Polanski made it 3-2, and the Wildcats would never relinquish their lead.

"It was a perfect 2-on-1 counterattack," Lejeune said. "Peter did a great job of drawing the defender."

Libertyville closed out the first half with senior goalkeeper Jimmy Palac's second goal of the tournament. His skip shot as time expired was the signature play of the game.

"Stunned and surprised," was how Rogers described her reaction.

As a junior, Palac went the entire year without scoring.

"I know from experience that skip shots are harder to save," Palac said. "The goalie (seemed) to be looking for me to pass. I was aiming for the left side, and with two seconds left I just ripped it."

It was a disappointing performance for the Broncos (7-4), who had performed well the last two days.

"This was the worst game we've played this year," said Barrington coach Adam Steffen. "Our passing was awful; we weren't looking for open teammates. This is a great group of kids, but we didn't have it today. If we had played like we did yesterday, it would have been a different game."

Barrington's Andy Gust scored 2 goals and David Poetz tallied once.

In the second half, Lejeune scored twice by lobbing the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net.

"It's like shooting a basket," he said. "I try to be as accurate as I can into a small pocket of the (net)."

Throughout the second half, Barrington was unable to generate any consistent offense.

"They were shooting on their back because our defensive pressure was so good," Palac said. "They were getting frustrated and throwing up bad shots."