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A young HRV boys water polo team saw its season come to an end Thursday evening in Corvallis as the No. 5 Eagles lost a tough one to No. 4 Ashland, 10-7, failing to advance to the double-elimination round of the tournament for the first time since the 2013 season.
The HRV squad, with just two seniors on its roster, hung tough with an older, bigger, and more experienced Grizzlies team, who pulled away in the second half thanks to some stellar goaltending that held off the barrage of shots the Eagles attempted in the game.
HRV Head Coach Dave Robinson said the team started off “pretty strong,” going on a 3-0 run and ending the first quarter up 4-2 as the Eagles’ took advantage of the tentative play in the first seven minutes.
However, in the second quarter, Ashland’s goalie “made some great stops,” Robinson said, pumping up the Grizzlies while deflating HRV and “shutting down everyone.”
But senior keeper Liam Longland had a good night of his own in net, making nine saves, including an incredible stop on a 5-meter penalty shot opportunity, which Robinson said usually has “a 90-percent chance of going in.” The two teams were locked in a defensive battle, with both teams only scoring a goal in the third quarter.
Ashland clung to an 8-7 lead with three minutes remaining, then made two “unbelievable shots” on closely defended plays, which sucked the air out of the room for HRV as the Grizzlies survived to advance to the next round.
Of course, Robinson and the team would have liked to make a deeper playoff run, but he was pleased with what the team was able to accomplish this season and is already looking forward to next as the team will only lose two players, Longland and Bryce Donald, to graduation. He highlighted the play of Chad Klaas (team-high five steals), who “was like a water bug, he was all over the pool,” as well as that of JJ Mears, who had a team-high five goals. Donald and Cole Rothman were the other goal-scorers for HRV.
“Games like this are just a collection of moments, and we had some great moments,” Robinson noted. “It was hard fought and I’m super proud of them. They came a long way this year.”
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