Boys water polo: Neuqua Valley beats York in second overtime

York was not at all surprised that Neuqua Valley wanted to get Matt Townsend set up late in overtime for a potential game-winning goal Monday night in Elmhurst, but that's not to say the Dukes could prevent the Wildcats star's heroics.

With the match tied 14-14 late in the second of two, three-minute extra sessions, Neuqua Valley's Jack Hiss found Townsend in traffic with a perfect pass and Townsend just managed to get a hand on the ball, twist and flip a shot into the Dukes net for the game-winner with 14:42 seconds left to play. York (17-7), which played a superb fourth quarter to extend the game into overtime, had just drawn even at 14-14 when Carson Hicks skipped in his eighth goal of the night just 15 seconds before Townsend stole the show.

"For that last one I just had to find a way to get open and I trusted my teammate that he would hit me up with that pass," Townsend said of his fifth and biggest goal of the match. "Personally, I was surprised it went in. I kind of grabbed it, twisted my hand and tossed it in."

York coach Brian Drumm had no complaints about his team's coverage on that decisive play. He could only tip his hat to both Hiss and Townsend.

"What are you going to do?" Drumm asked. "Townsend's a good player, the pass was good, and he was able to get to the ball. I think all of my guys did all they could. Three guys crashed on him and he just found a little space. That's what great players do."

Even in defeat, Drumm saw plenty of positives from York. Hicks was stellar with his eight scores and teamed well with Isaac Marlott and others to create plenty of offense. The Dukes also turned in their best quarter of the night when they needed it the most, outscoring the Wildcats 4-1 in the fourth to erase an 11-8 deficit and send the match into overtime. Marlott set up Hicks for the equalizer with just over two minutes left in regulation.

"I was proud of my team and I think Neuqua should be proud of themselves too," Drumm said. "It was just a really fun game and a good experience right before sectionals."

Neuqua Valley coach Chad Ganden, whose team improved to 16-5, shared Drumm's sentiments.

"I thought they did a great job slowing us down and really taking us out of our game," Ganden said. "We like to use our speed a lot and we were having a hard time today getting our speed going. They're a well-coached team. They know what they're doing, so it's a great team to play and we prepare for the sectionals."