Both the Tualatin boys and girls water polo teams knew they had a tough task in the pool recently when they played host to rival Lake Oswego, as both the boys and girls teams are two of the tops in the state.
Neither of the Timberwolves came away victorious, but both teams remained competitive and were pleased with their respective performances.
“Our program has definitely grown since I first started,” said Head Coach Ashley Elisara, who is in her sixth season on the coaching staff at Tualatin. “We were winning two or three games a season. Now we’re consistently winning 10.”
The boys team stayed a bit closer, losing 14-11 against Lake Oswego, which has won the last two state titles.
“We’re a pretty inexperienced team,” said Brady Carey, a junior and captain for the Tualatin boys team. “To go out there and hold our own, that’s never happened since I’ve played. I’m happy. I’m ecstatic.”
The Timberwolves (5-7, 2-2 league play) trailed 8-6 at the half, and managed to tie things up early in the third period before Lake Oswego regained the lead and never lost it. Elisara said it was the best game she’s seen the boys team play in awhile.
“The last couple years, it’s been very hard to play against them,” said Jake Madrid, a junior and captain for Tualatin. “To come back this year and do that is really great to see.”
Carey led the way, scoring four goals in the match, the most of a player on either team. He also had three assists, and his seven total points were the most of anyone in the game. Madrid scored two goals and assisted on another, and also had two steals in the game.
Kenji Kasubuchi scored three goals, Fisher Tweten scored two goals and assisted on two, and Ethan Clews had four assists. Thurston Gilchrist had 15 saves in goal.
On the season, Carey leads Tualatin in points (58), goals (36), and assists (22). He ranks top-10 in Oregon in all of those categories, as well. Madrid is next on the team with 38 points, followed by Clews, Tweten, and Kasubuchi.
Girls team holds their own against Lake Oswego
On the girls side, Elisara said the team needs to be more aggressive and position themselves better on defense. The Timberwolves lost 12-6 against Lake Oswego.
“That’s what killed our score,” Elisara said. “That’s why we didn’t stay as close as we could have.”
Junior Sienna Hoff led Tualatin (4-7, 0-2) recorded team-highs against Lake Oswego with her three goals, two assists, and five steals. Ella Plahn, the team’s lone senior, added a goal and had four steals in the loss. Cassandra Boyce and Carissa Parry scored a goal each for Tualatin.
Both Hoff and Plahn said the team could use the game as a learning experience to get better as the season goes on.
“Compared to last year, our program has grown a lot,” Plahn said. “We have a lot of new players. We’re a lot better and we built more of a community with the girls.”
Hoff leads Tualatin in points (40), goals (30), and assists (10), placing her top six in the state for all those categories, as well. Plahn is next on the team with 22 points, followed by Parry, Boyce, and Molly Labhart.
Building community
Both Hoff and Plahn said they started playing water polo their freshman years of high school. They came to the sport from swimming and thought they’d give it a try.
“I like the contact in water polo. I switched over to try it and fell in love with it,” Hoff said. “I love the team. It’s most fun I’ve had playing a sport.”
They both play club water polo outside of the school team, and said that’s been a great way to meet other players and get some interested in playing for the school, as well.
The two teams are also close, as they practice together and even play in games together at times. If a school doesn’t have enough players for separate boys and girls teams, they play co-ed games. Elisara said they typically use the JV players for those games.
The players said it’s fun when the boys and girls play together for a game, as it’s another way the sport brings all its players closer.
“The community is amazing,” Madrid said. “I love that everybody knows each other. You play against teams where you know everyone. Improving is quick and very fun. When you’re improving, you’re having a lot of fun.”
Brady agreed, saying it’s always fun to meet someone else who plays water polo, since it’s not a very well-known sport.
That can provide some challenges for Elisara and the coaching staff, as they’re getting players who are coming from other sports with no much experience or students who saw water polo in the Olympics and thought it looked fun.
“Throughout my six years, I’ve had to start at teaching people how to swim up through club players who play year-round, so I’ve seen all of it,” she said. “We really work on the fundamentals early during daily doubles and build those skills up so they’re ready for the season.”
