Words couldn’t describe Friday’s Enumclaw High girls water polo match against Auburn Mountainview as the two teams battled for East Division supremacy.

Four quarters of regulation play were followed by a pair of three-minute overtime periods and three three-minute sudden victory periods before Auburn Mountainview scored 1 minute, 4 seconds into the third sudden victory period for the 9-8 win. In all, it was 41 minutes, four seconds – nine periods – from the start of the match.

The heartbreaking loss slipped the Hornets into second place behind the Lions.

The Hornets started fast, scoring three goals in the first five minutes, two by Lindsay Bowden and the other from Erin Stucker. Mountainview outscored Enumclaw in the second period, but trailed the Hornets 5-4 at the half. After a close third quarter, the Lions scored three in the fourth quarter to tie the game at seven and send the game into the first overtime period.

Stucker scored in the first overtime to give the Hornet’s an 8-7 edge, but the Lions answered with 47 seconds remaining to tie the game at eight at the end of the second overtime.

At that point, the game went to “sudden victory” with the next goal determining the winner. Goalie Shaye Hogerhuis kept the Hornets’ hopes alive to blocking a penalty shot in the fourth overtime period, but Mountainview’s Stephanie Bluhm scored the game-winner 90 seconds into the fifth overtime.

The Hornets get a rematch at 7 p.m. Thursday when the Hornets and Lions go head to head, this time in the Lions’ home water. With a victory, EHS, 7-1 overall and 5-1 in league, would renew its chance to keep a share of the league title.

The Enumclaw defense had a banner day against Auburn Mountainview, limiting the Lions to nine goals in nine periods of play while collecting 21 steals.In addition, Hogerhuis gathered a team record 34 saves.

On offense, Bowden scored four goals for the Hornets. Stucker followed with three and Angie Brazier added one. Bowden, Stucker and Kaitlyn Korsch each tallied an assist.

Saturday the Hornets rebounded to beat the visiting Peninsula Seahawks 9-5.

Scoring for Enumclaw in were: Korsch and Tianna Hogan with three goals each and Bowden, Brooke Flaquinti and Breanna Flaquinti with one goal apiece. Hogerhuis tallied nine saves and three assists. Bowden gathered 10 steals, while Hogan stole five.

Reach Brenda Sexton at bsexton@courierherald.com or 360-802-8206.