Patriots find their form, pull away from Cougars

The North Suburban Conference is on notice.

The Stevenson girls water polo team is finding its form on offense.

The Patriots scored 11 goals in the first half Thursday on their way to a 12-5 victory at Vernon Hills.

"We tried some things we had worked on in practice," senior Amy Michelau said. "It was nice to see us do that in a game."

On offense, everything clicked for the Patriots (4-1). Stevenson returns to action Saturday in a tournament at Lyons Township.

"We (focused) on spacing and working the ball up the sides," Stevenson coach Jeff Wimer said. "We were able to create openings right away. We've worked a lot on our shooting, and our shooting percentage has gone right up."

Michelau scored a game-high 3 goals and contributed 2 assists.

"She took advantage of her opportunities," Wimer said.

Kelly Lowry added 2 goals and 1 assist.

"She's an intelligent player; she has the vision (to understand) what the other team is giving her," Wimer said.

Vernon Hills' Kelly Steininger contributed in all phases with 3 goals and 9 steals.

"She was at the top of her game defensively," Cougars coach Shona Moeller said.

The Cougars (4-3) stayed determined throughout and held their own in the second half. The final goal came courtesy of Melanie Lecaroz, who had come up just short on several previous shots.

"That was a relief after so many attempts," Lecaroz said. "My other shots were forced, so this time I (decided) to lob the ball over her."

Moeller liked the way Lecaroz continued to battle until the clock ran out.

"She's such a hard worker and it was so rewarding to see her get that goal," Moeller said. "She's a utility player and able to thrive wherever I need her."