The Huskies water polo team lost to Marist 15-9 in a home game Friday, Sept, 23.
Sweet Home’s lack of swimming speed in the water and depth on its roster showed as Marist used its superior swimming and larger squad to jump out to an early lead, leading 4-1 at the end of the first quarter.
The Huskies rallied in the second quarter, outscoring the Spartans 4-1 to tie the game 5-5 at the half.
Marist responded in the third quarter with a series of fast breaks to outscore the shorthanded Huskies 5-2. The Huskies tried to rally in the fourth quarter with some fast-break opportunities themselves but in the end dropped the match 15-9.
“Once again we were not able to counter their swimming ability and speed,” Coach Craig Martin sais. “We started a little sluggish and that allowed Marist to jump out on us and put us in a bit of a hole in the first quarter.
“Skill-wise we matched up well; we just lack the speed to shut down the counterattacks that occur after a change of possession or turnover.”
The Huskies were able to spread their offensive scoring this game with four scores from senior Jake Johnson, three from junior Sten Weld, and one from senior first-year player Zack Pratt.
The Huskies, 1-3 overall and 1-1 in league, played their second league match at Corvallis Monday.