Trailing by four goals heading into the final quarter of the IHSA sectional final against visiting York, May 11, it was now or never for the Fenwick girls water polo team. In those final seven minutes, the Friars played stout defense and pulled within one. But they were unable to complete the rally and fell 10-9 to the Dukes, who advanced to this week’s state finals at Stevenson.
“It could’ve been easy to give up being down 10-6,” said Fenwick coach Elizabeth Timmons. “But they didn’t. What’s impressed me over the course of the season is that they have figured out how to work with each other. When you have a team of different personalities, it’s sometimes difficult, but they’ve figured out a way to communicate and not give up on each other.”
Timmons felt Fenwick (12-16) recently played their best water polo of the season and credited her seniors, Audrey Mason and Xiomara Trejo, for their leadership.
“They’ve done a really nice job getting everyone excited and on the same page,” she said. “They’re the backbone of what we’ve been doing.”
Things weren’t looking good for Fenwick as York scored four consecutive goals in the third quarter to open up a 10-5 lead. But Trejo scored with :18 left to give the Friars hope entering the final seven minutes.
Fenwick’s Ava Gelau scored with 4:13 to play, making the score 10-7. Then Noelanie Gutierrez and Trejo scored 47 apart, pulling the Friars within a goal at the 1:29 mark as the Fenwick fans went wild.Unfortunately, the scoreboard malfunctioned and caused a short delay. Did it stall Fenwick’s momentum?
“No, we honestly used it as a time to rest,” Trejo said. “I think it benefitted us because it gave us time to talk and regroup.”
Fenwick committed a penalty not long after play resumed, giving York a man-up advantage for 20 seconds. But sophomore goalie Regan McDonald stopped the Dukes’ shot, giving the Friars a chance to tie the game.
“This is Regan’s first year playing water polo, and she’s so good,” Trejo said. “She definitely has the most grit on the team and she’s a hard worker. I love her.”
Fenwick pushed forward and Gutierrez had a good look from the left side of the pool. But her shot with less than 30 seconds left was stopped by York goalie Kira Caputo, and the Dukes ran out the clock to secure victory.
“I honestly think it was a great last game,” Trejo said. “We played hard and started and finished strong. Some things didn’t go our way, but I have no regrets.”
Trejo finished with five goals and two assists. Shaira Stoner and Violet Szczeblowski each scored a goal, and McDonald posted six saves.
In a sectional semifinal, May 10, Trejo had five goals and Gelau and Gutierrez three apiece in Fenwick’s 12-6 victory over Oak Park and River Forest. Phyllis Kreiter and Jada Noyes each scored twice for the Huskies (11-12).
“We were playing a man down a lot,” said OPRF coach Beth Perez. “We tried hard, but [Fenwick] scored down low a bit too much for us. We had our ups and downs, but we ended up coming together as a team and improved by the end of the season.”