The Dartmouth women's water polo team (7-1-0) is looking to capture the latter half of back-to-back New England championships after crucial victories this past weekend over MIT, Wellesley, Bates and Boston University.
While the team is not entering the New England Championships with an undefeated mark in seeding tournaments as it did last year, the recent play of the women has left other teams searching frantically for a counterattack to the seemingly unrelenting offensive Dartmouth blitzes.
Facing Yale in the first seeding tournament, the women were shorthanded five key contributors including All-New England goalie Gillian Morshedi '04 due to both the D-Plan and the concurrent conclusion of the swim season. The team nonetheless managed to put forward a valiant effort in a down-to-the-wire match that served as the blueprint for future offensive formations.
On the team's hopes to defend its New England title this coming weekend at the championships, Jim Wilson -- the dynamic New England Coach of the Year who has established one of the preeminent club teams in the nation -- had the following to say.
"I have confidence that with the way we have been playing, our women will play their best water polo of the season at champs."
With the remarkable performances of New England Player of the Year Sam Klau '05 in the two-meter hole-set position, as well as with the speed and versatility of four varsity swimmers, most notably speedster Kristin Simunovich '06 and powerhouse Kelly Cameron '04, the Big Green women can out-swim their opponents and force turnovers to create an offense.
"Water polo is not a very popular sport at Dartmouth," co-captain Lauren Wondolowski '04 said. "Many people falsely presume that it entails galloping on ponies in the water but I assure you that it is much different. Water polo is a wonderful sport from the viewpoint of the spectator as the swimming and ball movement are exciting Anything within reason goes."
Added co-captain Lindsay Richardson '02, "Wondo has hit it on its rotund bottom. Water polo is about playing with a ball in the water, not a rubber ducky. I have recently been taking meticulous notes at practice and have surmised that putting the ball into the cage results in goals and goals in their very nature result in points, fundamental and essential components for victory."
At New England Championships this coming weekend at Wesleyan, the Big Green is seeded second with a first-round match-up against Bates and a likely second-round match with UMass with another berth at nationals on the line.
Since it is customary in the Karl Michael Pool to raise banners in groupings of two, a championship title at Wesleyan will spell trouble for the landscape of water polo banners adorning the walls of our aquatics facility. There simply is not room for more banners, but as was demonstrated by the case of the swim team saga of the fall term, problems such as this can be resolved with just a little bit of creativity.
