The Loyola girls water polo team entered the state tournament last weekend with one state trophy in program history. The Ramblers finished fourth in 2009.
Now, the team has a new trophy to match the one from nine years ago.
The Ramblers beat Conant 11-5 on Friday to guarantee a state trophy. They lost to Fenwick in the semifinals, then fell to Naperville North to finish fourth.
“This group of girls is all heart. They came together at the end of the season,” coach Kim Przekota said.
After losing to Lyons on April 21, the Ramblers sat at 12-11. They improved a bit down the stretch before a key loss flipped a switch. Fenwick defeated Loyola 9-7 in the Metro Catholic Aquatics Conference tournament on May 5, and the Ramblers said that setback changed everything.
“That game versus Fenwick, we had a lot of motivation going into sectionals,” said senior Lauren Voss, who resides in Chicago.
“That two-goal (loss) convinced the girls that maybe we can play with these other teams,” Przekota added. “We play a hard schedule and take our lumps. That’s how we get better.”
Loyola was a veteran group this season. Of the Ramblers’ 29 state tournament goals, the seniors scored 24. It was that experience, along with the steady production from juniors such as Aidan Koconis-O’Malley, Grace Kern and goalie Mary Kate Lopez, that drove the Ramblers into the state tournament.
The night before the Conant game, the team watched the movie “Miracle” about the United States men’s hockey team’s improbable run to the 1980 Olympic gold medal. Although the Ramblers fell short of winning their water polo tournament, they did succeed in bringing home a trophy.
“We tied for as far as any Loyola team has gone in the history of water polo. It was so amazing, so fun,” said Voss, who will play in college next year at Santa Clara. “We meshed as a team. Our team dynamic was amazing.”
“From the captains down to the others, you won’t find a group that works harder,” Przekota added.
Evanston boys fall in state quarterfinals
The Evanston boys water polo team accomplished its goal of playing some of its best water polo at the end of the season.
The Wildkits completed their season with a 7-3 loss to Lyons in the state quarterfinals on Thursday at Stevenson. Senior Lucas Verrilli, junior Nathan Perkoski and sophomore Ben Coleman each scored in the loss to the Lions.
Evanston entered the state tournament having won 11 games in a row and 20 of its last 22. The Wildkits’ 28 wins are the most in program history, breaking the record set by the 27-win team from 2006.
Evanston will lose its two top goal-scorers to graduation in seniors Jacob Finn-Samuels (69 goals) and Verrilli (59 goals). But Perkowski (59 goals) returns, along with juniors Rafael De Gouvea and Peter Iachini, as well as sophomores Coleman, Grant King and Brendan Long.
The trip to state was the Wildkits’ first since 2005.
