Fremd makes history with third-place finish

Fremd's seniors added to what has become an historic season at Stevenson.

The Vikings, who had previously advanced to the girls water polo state tournament twice before this season, had never made it past the quarterfinals. That streak ended Friday, and another one ended Saturday.

The Vikings won the third-place game, avenging a regular-season loss by edging Loyola 10-9. In doing so, the Vikings (28-3) became the first team from the Mid-Suburban League to finish the season with a victory.

"We're a family," said Fremd's Katie DeFillipo, one of five seniors on the team. "We worked together, we laughed together, we fought together, and we got through everything together. We did it all together."

A pair of seniors led Fremd in scoring. Erika Lauraitis had a game-high 6 goals and playmaker Katie French came up with 3; Kristina D'Andrea had Fremd's other goal.

Maeve O'Connor led Loyola (24-11-1) with 5 goals.

"Words can't really describe how I feel at this point," said Fremd coach Brian Newby.

At one point, Fremd led 9-5. But Loyola mounted a furious comeback and eventually pulled even on a one-player advantage early in the fourth quarter.

Lauraitis eventually scored the game-winner, stuffing home a shot in the corner of the net after a successful drive to the goalmouth.

"One thing about these girls, they're resilient," said Newby. "They believed in themselves."

They also believed in hard work. Newby said this is the first Fremd team that approached him and requested the chance to have two-a-day practice sessions. While the third-place finish is a nice way to exit, many of the players left the building with decidely mixed emotions.

"It's really bittersweet," said Fremd goalkeeper Kelli DiCanio, who had 3 saves, including one on a breakway late in the game and another in the final minute to preserve the Vikings' slim lead. "You know, it's four years of hard work for us. I'm glad it ended the way it did, but now it's over."

The Vikings met eventual state champion Fenwick in the Saturday morning semifinals and lost 9-3. Lauraitis scored twice and Emily Orlowski had Fremd's other goal.

"Hey, holding Fremd to single digits, that's not bad," said Newby. "I thought we really showed something by doing that."