Girls water polo: Barrington adds to strong start at Libertyville
It's only the second week of the season but so far, so good for the Barrington girls water polo team.
The Fillies are off to a 4-0 start after pulling away from host Libertyville 15-8 Thursday night in nonconference action.
"It's still too early and we don't put a lot of emphasis on our record," Fillies coach Mark Markwell said. "The enthusiasm from the girls is what's carrying us right now. We have some pretty smart players, and they figured some things out tonight."
The Fillies have plenty of scoring weapons, but one in particular who showcased that enthusiasm Thursday was 2-meter set Andrea Potgieter, who potted 6 goals.
"I started playing whole set during my freshman year on varsity, and I love going after the ball and being aggressive," said Potgieter, a senior who will play Division-I polo at Virginia Military Institute next fall. "Coaches have helped me a lot. They teach us to never give up. I think we were worried when the season started because we lost some good seniors. But now that we've won a couple of games, we're settling down and hitting a groove and just trying to enjoy it."
Potgieter's pair of goals helped Barrington seize the lead for good at 4-2 after the first period. Utility player Heidi Pallan scored the first 2 goals to erase a 1-0 deficit after Libertyville's Jess Lanty flicked one in with her back to the goal with 4:25 left.
The Wildcats (1-2) showed tremendous hustle and were more active with shots on goal in the second period as both teams scored three times.
Lanty popped in two more goals, while senior left wing Annie Barnett rifled one into the left corner past the outstretched hands of Barrington keeper Alyssa Hawe, who finished with 7 saves.
Back came Barrington, as Potgieter added two more goals. Alyssa Schmidts also scored, and it was game on as Barrington led 7-5 at the break.
The Fillies came out strong in the third and separated themselves by outscoring Libertyville 3-1 and take a 10-6 advantage into the fourth.
Potgieter scored on a lob shot over Wildcats keeper Kathryn Dane (10 saves) for the last goal of the frame, while Nicole Runtz earlier added two on her way to a hat trick.
Pallan, defender Courtney Blum and Schmidts played stingy defense, especially in the third when they held Lanty to 1 goal.
"That was big for us to come out strong after halftime," Potgieter said. "We were mentally prepared, and in the water we try to know where the ball is all the time."
Barrington didn't let up in the fourth as Potgieter scored her sixth goal and Runtz notched her third. Pallan, Jackie West and Hannah Singh each connected for single scores.
Lanty scored her sixth and seventh goals in the fourth, as Libertyville had 19 shots on goal for the game to Barrington's 28.
"We have a lot of girls playing new positions, but they are working hard and adapting well to the changes," Libertyville second-year coach Tracy Balla said. "We're just trying to work on the fundamentals and improve every game."