Neuqua Valley seniors get defensive
Seven different players scored for Neuqua Valley girls water polo in a 15-4 home win against York on Monday, but defense was key to the dominant performance.
Senior Night meant an unusual lineup of six starting seniors for the Wildcats, and York took advantage when Jaime Redmond slammed in a goal midway through the first to give the Dukes a 1-0 lead.
Neuqua quickly recovered on both ends of the pool.
“It may take a minute or two for the girls to get their focus back (on Senior Night),” said Wildcats coach Robert Guy. “They were excited with six seniors in the field, but once they calmed down they really started scoring goals.”
Neuqua senior Meghan Gradle scored first for the Wildcats. Gradle, normally the star goalie for Neuqua, found herself playing offense in honor of the special occasion.
“After (York) scored the first goal it showed things weren’t all just fun and games. We knew we needed to get serious,” said Neuqua junior Courtney Taylor.
The Wildcats scored on goals from Sarah Nook and Taylor to close out the first quarter, but allowed York driver Lauralee Johnson to score in the closing seconds of the period.
“I feel like we’re getting better against more physical teams,” said York coach Maria-Elena Agrela. “I’m definitely encouraging them to be more physical in practice.”
Once play began in the second quarter the Wildcat defense began to clamp down, and right on cue the goals started pouring in on the other end.
Neuqua went on a 12-2 run to close the game.
“It’s a chemistry on defense that the girls have together,” Guy said. “They trust each other and they know everyone else’s role. They make perimeter passing difficult, they contest shots, and they all lean on each other until the shot clock runs out.”
The Neuqua defense shut the Dukes out in the second and fourth quarter entirely.
“It didn’t take that long for us to click because we’ve been practicing so hard,” said Wildcat junior Haley Grogan.
Gradle returned to play goalie in the fourth and ended her night with 3 saves.
Nook finished with 6 goals, while Gradle, Taylor and senior Tricia Banister had 2 each.
“Nook definitely stepped it up big today with her 6 goals, but she wouldn’t have been able to have the big day without Banister setting her up,” Guy said.