It didn’t start off great for Enumclaw High at the state girls water polo tournament, but the Hornets were able to close out the tournament Saturday with an overtime victory over Puayllup for a seventh-place showing.
The Hornets opened the tournament May 13 with a 20-4 loss to Gig Harbor. Gig Harbor went on to claim second place at the state tournament for the second straight year after losing to Curtis in the championship game.
In the Hornets’ match with the Tides, Lindsay Bowden, Liz Schmidt, Breanna Flaquinti, and Kelsey Sonneson each scored one goal.
Friday, the Hornets entered the fourth quarter with Rogers tied at six, but the Rams won 10-7.
The Rams came out fast with Rogers’ Sarah King scoring three quick goals early in the first quarter. Enumclaw fought back, with goals by Erin Stucker, Bowden, and Tianna Hogan to trail the Rams 5-3 at halftime.
The Hornets rallied in the third period to tie the game six after a goal by Hogan and two fast break goals by Stucker. But Rogers was able to hold off a gritty EHS, scoring four goals in the final quarter, while holding the Hornet offense to a single goal by Bowden.
Against Puayllup, the Vikings scored first, less than a minute into the game, on a penalty shot. Puyallup added two more goals before Bowden scored on an Enumclaw penalty shot to end the first quarter.
Enumclaw added three more in the second period – from Bowden, Hogan and Amber Morris – to narrow the Viking lead to one at the half. Both teams added a goal in the third period, but the Hornets scored two in the fourth quarter and kept Puyallup to a single goal to end regulation even at seven.
The Hornets scored in their first possession of overtime on a power play goal by Kelsey Brazier, but Puyallup tied the score a minute later. Hogan answered for the Hornets with 14 seconds remaining in the first overtime to give EHS a 9-8 advantage. Puyallup scored midway through the second overtime to knot the score at nine and push the game into sudden death.
Two minutes into the sudden death, EHS’s Stucker took off on a fast break. With a defender closing from behind and the Viking goalkeeper charging from the front, Stucker maintain control of the ball and put it in the right corner for the game-winning goal.
Scoring for Enumclaw in the final game of the season were senior Hogan, with three goals; seniors Morris and Brazier, with a goal each; junior Bowden, with four scores; and sophomore Stucker with one.
This was the Hornets’ fourth trip to state in the past four years. The Enumclaw squad placed sixth in 2006, and fifth in 2007 and 2008.
Curtis claimed its third consecutive state championship with a 16-0 win.
At the conclusion of the tournament, Bowden was named an all-state honorable mention.
All-league awardes will be announced at the team banquet.
Reach Brenda Sexton at bsexton@courierherald.com or 360-802-8206.
