On Tuesday, March 12, the varsity boys water polo team played against the Fremd Vikings, ending the competition with an 11-9 win in their home pool over the visiting team.
The Wildcats had much to celebrate going into the game, having won their first away game on Monday, March 4, a 12-9 overtime battle against the Hersey Huskies. Following a disappointing home loss to the York Dukes, the team proceeded to go 4-0 in their tournament at Buffalo Grove, beating the McHenry Warriors 16-9, the Maine West Warriors 17-11, the Buffalo Grove Bison 4-1 and the Lake Forest Scouts 10-7.
Head Coach Kara Bosman, who has been coaching water polo for 11 years, attributed the win in part to the advantage of being the home team.
“I think playing at home, knowing the pool, having a few more fans in the stands is always good for the energy,” Coach Bosman, in her eighth year as the boys varsity head coach, said.
Libertyville started the game off strong, holding a 6-3 lead by the end of the first quarter. While the Vikings kept themselves on the board with three goals from junior Noah McClurg (15), the home team stayed ahead with a goal from junior Connor Tuegel (12), three goals from sophomore Emmett McDonald (10) and a two-point effort from junior Ted Stouffer (9).
“We’re really proud to win at home,” Stouffer, playing his second season on varsity, said. “It’s always a good feeling. We’re going into the week, going into a tournament next weekend coming off a good winning streak. Good way to start.”
The Wildcats grew their lead in the second half, with senior Sam Rasin (5) scoring twice. With junior Tristan Backhus (1) playing in his usual position as goalie, the Vikings were unable to score at all for the remainder of the first half, which ended with the home team up 8-3.
The Vikings mounted a comeback throughout the second half, closing the gap to 8-5 by the end of the third quarter. The fourth quarter, however, saw the Wildcats score on three separate occasions.
McDonald scored on a penalty shot to give the Wildcats their ninth goal. Senior and team captain Seif Kotb (7) scored off a pass to follow it up. Fremd launched a scoring run led by a three-point effort from McClurg, but McDonald scored one last time with 12 seconds on the clock to lock in the win for the Wildcats.
“One thing the team did well was really making sure that we were being a threat at all times,” McDonald said. “One goal that I have for the team is to really make sure that we’re perfecting our technique and helping around the perimeter.”
The close finish still managed to give the Wildcats the win, the first in their home pool.
“We set up at the end of the pool before we scored,” Stouffer said. “We played a solid game of defense. I think we need to work on our counter. We got to make the right passes.”
The team’s next home game will be Saturday, April 6, against the Vernon Hills Cougars.