Hornets Girls Water Polo Falls to Auburn Mountainview 16-13

The Enumclaw girl's water polo team took on rival Auburn Mountainview on Thursday night at the Auburn Pool. It was a game that had league championship implications for both teams. The Hornets (5-3, 3-2 SPSL 3A) lost a hard-fought 16-13 decision to the host Lions. The win for Auburn Mountainview all but secures the regular season championship in SPSL 3A Girls WaterPolo for the Lions.

"We have a great rivalry with (Auburn Mountainview)," Enumclaw head coach Bob Averill said. "It's a disappointing loss, but I am sure we will see them at State."

Enumclaw came out strong early in the first quarter jumping to a 2-0 lead on goals by Hannah Kinniburgh and Annie Birklid. Auburn Mountainview would come right back on the precise shooting of Amanda Nuttall who scored a game high eight goals to pace the Lions on the evening. With the game tied at 3, the Hornets' Kelsey Sonneson scored two quick goals to give Enumclaw a 5-3 lead with 36 seconds left in the first quarter.

The game would then turn back toward the Lions over the next two quarters. Auburn Mountainview employed a very physical brand of water polo that gave the Hornets some trouble on both ends of the pool. The Lions would end up holding Enumclaw scoreless for 6:18 in the third quarter breaking open a 8-7 lead at halftime and stretching it out to a 12-7 lead before a goal by Enumclaw's Sonnenson cut the lead to 12-8 with :42 seconds left in the third.

"It was a pretty physical game," Averill said. "They were probably a little more physical than we were tonight."

The Hornets would battle back in the fourth quarter by matching the physicality of the Lions and creating turnovers that led to multiple goals.  Enumclaw's Ali Ballard took advantage of an Auburn Mountainview turnover and cashed in a goal to jumpstart a 5-1 run over a 4:53 span to cut the Lions lead to 15-13 with 1:12 left in the fourth quarter.

Auburn Mountainview would finish the scoring with a goal seven seconds later after a Hornet foul to seal the victory at 16-13.

With a game against Puyallup tonight, Averill knows that it will be a challenge for his squad on the road for the second consecutive night.

"We have a lot of good games with Puyallup, its a tough place to play," Averill said. "It's a non-league game so there is not quite so much at stake but they will be another team that we expect to see at State."

Enumclaw  4- 3 -1- 5--13

Aub. Mountainview 5- 3- 5- 3--16

Enumclaw Goals: Kelsey Sonneson 5, Ali Ballard 3, Annie Birklid 2, Erin Stucker 1, Hannah Kinniburgh 1