The Tide rolled to a 17-4 win over the Enumclaw High girls water polo team Saturday morning in Gig Harbor. The good news for the Hornets was the game with Gig Harbor was a non-league contest.
Gig Harbor controlled the game from the beginning, taking a 4-0 lead at the end of the first period and building it to 90 at the half before the Hornets scored their first goal. Erin Stucker scored late in the third period and Lindsay Bowden scored two goals and Tianna Hogan scored one in the fourth quarter.
The Hornets suited up just 10 varsity players; several players, including two starters, were unavailable due to schedule conflicts. The short-handed EHS team had trouble slowing Gig Harbor’s fast break, or controlling the ball against the Tides’ defense. The Hornets had an unprecedented 27 turnovers in the game.
Enumclaw had some bright spots on defense, gathering 17 steals, including eight by Bowden, four by Stucker, and two blocked shots by Ali Ballard and Hogan. Goalkeeper Shaye Hogerhuis collected 15 saves for the game.
“We get another shot at them in a couple of weeks; at full strength, we’ll give them a different look,” coach Bob Averill said. The Hornets host Gig Harbor for Enumclaw’s final game of the season at 4:30 p.m. May 7.
The Hornets were expected to be back at full strength for Tuesday’s game against Rogers at the Rams’ home pool in Puyallup. Enumclaw beat Rogers 11-7 earlier in the month. Results of that contest were not available at press time. The Hornets travel to the Auburn Thursday for an important league contest against Auburn Riverside at 7:30 p.m.
The winner of Thursday’s game would likely claim second place in the East Division of the South Sound Girls Water Polo League, and earn an automatic berth at the state playoffs. The third place team in each division can earn a trip to the state playoffs through a qualifying tournament scheduled for May 9 at Curtis.
Saturday, the Hornets host Stadium in a non-league game at 12:30 p.m. at the Enumclaw Aquatic Center.
Enumclaw’s record is 11-3, 6-2 in league play.
