Rising above the water, Christina Stassforth ’24 aims the ball past her Midway opponent. Stassforth was a staple for the Warrior offense as she created many goal scoring opportunities.
Holding the ball high, Sara Horsey ’27 looks for an opening past her Midway opponent. Horsey started every game this season as a freshman something rare for the Warriors.
Arm swung out, Matisse Cohen ’24 makes a pass to her teammate across the pool. The ball successfully sailed over the heads of several Round Rock opponents.
Drawing her arm back, goalie Vale Escalona ’24 prepares to launch the ball across the pool. This throw helped the Warriors gain distance in the pool.
Going into their second district round robin, Westwood women’s water polo faced off against three different teams — Midway, Round Rock, and Cedar Ridge —- at the RRISD Natatorium on Friday, Oct.6. This round of games would be the last of district competition and would determine the district champion.
To open the day the Warriors dominated Midway winning 11-4 meaning the next game against Round Rock would decide the district championship. The Warriors challenged the Dragons for their long-held district champion title but ultimately lost 6-8 in a back-and-forth match. However, the Warriors dominated the rest of the tournament, winning 15-6 against Cedar Ridge.
“I was kind of worried about how I would do because I’ve actually been sick all week,” goalie Vale Escalona ‘24 said, “But as soon as I started getting in those blocks I just get in that mental setting and you suddenly know you can do it. I think we were communicating really well and our drive was good [against Midway].”
In their first game against Waco Midway, the Warriors took the lead quickly making their first goal just a minute into the game. After that, the girls were putting points on the board fast, scoring four goals back to back within the first quarter. The Warriors maintained their lead through the rest of the game, with player Abby Horsey ‘24 scoring 3 goals in the third quarter alone. The Warriors also worked together to keep their defense strong, not letting Midway score a single point in the last quarter.
“The girls worked super hard and I think we played one of the best games we’ve ever played,” Captain Matisse Cohen ‘24 said, “We [had] a setup called team defense making sure everyone’s super aware of where their teammates are in case someone needs help. I talked to players individually after the Midway game about what they specifically needed to do for this [next] game.”
Facing off against their long-time rivals, the game with the Round Rock Dragons was intense. The Dragons came on strong, pulling a two-point lead within the first quarter. However, Cohen maintained strong defense throughout the game that curbed potential goals from the Dragons. By the third quarter, Horsey had scored 3 more goals, helping the Warriors break even with the Dragons at 6-6. However, in the final few minutes, Round Rock would score 2 more goals, bringing the final score to 6-8 and ending the Warriors’ hopes at a district title.
“In my 10 years of playing, I have a mostly self-taught defense that I have perfected and it’s very effective,” Cohen said. “I am a big part of our team’s defense.”
The Warriors will compete in the playoffs on Monday, Oct. 9, at the RRISD Natatorium against Austin High.
