Mundelein takes charge, sinks Libertyville
Drew Schneider called for a timeout Tuesday night.
But when it came time for Mundelein’s girls water polo coach to address his Mustangs, early in a game against visiting Libertyville, he said … nothing.
Schneider, his arms crossed, stood silently poolside, as his players formed a watery huddle near mid-pool.
“I let them talk to themselves,” he said. “I stay out of the way. I’ve been doing that a lot lately, during timeouts. A verbal player takes over. And that could be any player.”
Alexis Jones’ play — at both ends of the chlorinated home pond — spoke volumes in Mundelein’s 14-8 victory. The Mundelein senior chucked a game-high 4 goals and thwarted more than a few of Libertyville’s offensive threats.
“Alexis has a reputation of being an outstanding player on offense,” Schneider said after his club improved to 14-6-1, 3-0 in the North Suburban Conference. “But she’s also one of the best defensive players in the state. She consistently gets in such good position, keeping her hips up on defense.
“That,” he added, “allows her to contain.”
Jones broke free to record her team’s second tally of the game, after junior teammate Amy Klink opened the scoring in the first minute. Jones whipped in another, at 1:45 of the first quarter, and netted a pair of goals in a 1:07 span in the final quarter.
“We played a strong game tonight, as a team, after a rough weekend,” said Jones, alluding to the Mustangs’ eighth-place finish (0-4) at the highly competitive Stevenson Classic.
Libertyville’s weekend was a smooth one. The Wildcats sailed to four wins to capture the Elk Grove Tournament, beating Highland Park/Deerfield’s co-op squad 8-6 in the final.
“We settled down,” Libertyville coach Chris Crawford recalled after Tuesday’s game. “We got off to a great start (3-0) this year, gained a lot of confidence. Then we went through a couple of snags. (One snag: a last-second loss to Vernon Hills).
“We stopped worrying and just played at the tournament,” he added. “Nobody tried to out-think. They’d recognize situations. Then they’d go.”
Tuesday night, three Mundelein goalkeepers combined to stop 13 Libertyville shots. Emily Tylka and Michelle Barron each collected 5 saves, and birthday-girl Megan Casali aged gracefully while securing 3 saves.
“Mundelein plays so well as a team,” Crawford said after his team slipped to 8-7, 1-3. “Its bench is strong, with great shooters. All of their players play great defense, and they’re extremely intelligent.”
Alexis Philbrick’s polo IQ is Einstein-ish. The Mundelein senior scored once and paced the Mustangs in steals (4) and assists (2).
A “pumped-up Libertyville” – Philbrick’s words – tested her. But A.P. examined the challenges and aced them all.
“I love the way she anticipates in the pool,” Schneider said. “She’s smart, so smart, and such a good all-around player.”
Mundelein led 6-1 at the half, before enjoying a trio of 6-goal advantages (including the final score) after the break. Libertyville trailed only 11-7 at 2:17 of the fourth quarter, after outscoring Schneider’s crew 3-1 from the 6:11 mark to 2:17.
But Mundelein’s starters — and reserves — came up big.
Luxury-cruise-atop-a-puddle big.
“We got to show off our depth tonight,” said Schneider. “The entire varsity got to play and did well, across the board. We subbed six (girls) for six, at times, and didn’t miss a beat. The team made me proud.”
Klink and senior Sarah Honda each scored twice for Mundelein. Keepers Tylka and Barron found the net as field players. Karrie Kozokar, Hannah Kalish and Hannah Davidson struck for a goal apiece for the hosts.
Libertyville junior co-captain Sam Voelker finished with a team-high 3 goals; freshman Devika Joshi contributed 2 goals; Kate Phillips, Molly Bruns and Katelyn Liss also scored for the visitors.
Wildcats keeper Rosie O’Connor denied 10 shots.
“Mundelein’s players,” Voelker said, “are very good; they move a lot — the ball and themselves. I liked the way we moved tonight. We moved a lot more than we had been. We also did a good job of talking during the game, and that helped.”