The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Chelsea battles Okemos
PUBLISHED: April 19, 2007
Chelsea's girls' water polo team had a difficult stretch last week, playing two state-ranked teams back-to-back.
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Last Thursday, the host Bulldogs battled Lansing-area powerhouse Okemos.
"Okemos has a great team," said Chelsea coach Brian Thomas. "They move the ball really well and have by far one of the best goalies in the state."
The Chieftains' firepower ended up too much for Chelsea to handle said Thomas.
"Water polo shares many of the same principles as basketball and hockey," he said. "Being able to outlet and move the ball around the pool smartly opens up scoring chances."
Okemos started the scoring quickly jumping out to a 2-0 lead.
Bulldog senior co-captain Erika Purdy found then back of the net with 1:25 left in the first quarter to cut the Okemos lead to 3-1. The Chieftains, however, answered with two unanswered goals to close out the quarter leading 5-1.
In the second quarter, Okemos added three additional goals, taking a commanding 8-1 advantage into the third frame.
To begin the third quarter, the high-powered Chieftains scored three goals, increasing their lead to 11-1.
Chelsea's Anne Thiel stopped the Okemos outburst with a goal trimming the Chieftains' margin to 11-2 entering the fourth quarter.
In the fourth period, Okemos scored two quick goals in 30 seconds, upping its advantage to 13-2.
Purdy answered with two goals for a hat trick, while teammate senior co-captain Julie Adams added a final goal for Chelsea.
Despite a spirited effort, the Bulldogs lost to Okemos 24-5.
"Don't let the score fool you, we played well and competed with a top-ranked program," Thomas said. "We just need to take more shots and get their goalie off her game early."
In the JV contest, Chelsea fell 12-0.
Last Friday, the Bulldogs lost to host Saline 12-2. The Hornets are ranked No. 4 in the East District.
"We've got a great rivalry dating back to 1999 with Saline, when our two programs were in their infancy," Thomas said. "Plus, as a SEC (Southeastern Conference) member it's always great to compete in our normal conference."
Michigan Water Polo is a non-recognized sport by the Michigan High School Athletic Association, which means that no sports conferences exist. Instead, teams in the state are divided by location into districts.
"We compete well with the teams in Lansing and we were lucky that Dexter was put in our district to keep things familiar," Thomas said.
Saline was grouped with state powerhouses Ann Arbor Huron and Ann Arbor Pioneer, as well as Birmingham Seaholm said Thomas.
Last Friday's match-up was a defensive battle from the start. Both teams hopped into the pool and worked hard defending their respective nets.
Purdy scored Chelsea's opening goal with 1:27 left in the first quarter, cutting Saline's lead to 3-1.
The Bulldogs' stingy defense kept the score close in the second frame, as Saline notched two unanswered goals, taking a 5-1 lead into the third quarter.
"We have not established the play of our offense yet," Thomas said. "We need to communicate and use the 35-second shot clock to our advantage, instead of rushing our offense."
In the third quarter, Bulldog sophomore goalie Becca Brezee continued to aggressively pursue Saline shots on net and set up the offense to score said Thomas.
The Hornets, however, reached the back of the net three times, increasing their lead to 8-1. Chelsea spent most of the third quarter battling penalties.
"Water polo, much like hockey, has ejection or exclusion fouls which gives a team a power play," Thomas said.
The fourth quarter was similar to the third quarter with many penalty situations which Saline was able to capitalized on.
With 1:53 remaining, Purdy added her second goal of the night for the Bulldogs for the game's final margin.
In the JV match-up, Chelsea lost 11-2 to the Hornets.
Scoring for the Bulldogs were Michelle Kellogg and Vinisha Rana.
Chelsea goalie Christie Van Gemert recorded a shutout in the fourth quarter for the Bulldogs.
"I saw some very positive things tonight," Thomas said. "We are playing better defense and figuring out what to do on penalty kills, but we need to open our offense up and score goals.
"We're teaching the right basic skills for this program to grow and compete with the other well-established teams in our district."
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