Sweet Home’s water polo squads are making some waves in the pool, coach Kathy Benzo said after three games last week for the boys and the girls.
The girls beat Mountain View 24-6 on Tuesday, Sept. 12, with a “textbook-perfect” performance, Benzo said. Alyshia Benzo scored nine goals to lead the Huskies, adding three assists and eight steals. Laura Gourley added six goals. Justine Calhoon added four more for the Huskies, while Goalie Tee Whaley had seven saves.
The boys won 21-11, led by Joel Gunselman’s eight goals. Jayce Calhoon and Brinden Sanders each scored three.
The Huskies followed that on Wednesday with a girls’ victory over a combined South Albany/West Albany team, which they won by forfeit. The boys lost by two goals to South Albany, 19-17, but “this was a great game to watch as the boys are really coming together as a very strong team who are very fast learners and having a great time improving with every match they play,” Kathy Benzo said. “The boys are showing that they are a force to be reckoned with.”
Gunselman led the way with seven goals, and Jayce Calhoon added five.
At Woodburn on Friday, both teams lost, the girls by a 15-11 score. Alyshia Benzo was top scorer with seven goals. Kathy Benzo noted that Woodburn substituted liberally, while Sweet Home could not put any subs in the game.
“Under this circumstance, our girls did well,” she said. “The girls stll need to work on their passing skills.”
The boys had to forfeit the victory because they did not have enough players and three girls, Benzo, Gourley and Nicole Martin played with them so they could have a match.
The Huskies are back in the pool for three more road matches,. starting at Sprague on Tuesday, Sept. 19, then at West Albany today, Sept. 20, and at Corvallis Sept. 25.