Junior Carly Romero and her Riverside Brookfield High School girls water polo teammates have been short on numbers and on victories so far this season. The Bulldogs’ spirit in spite of the odds makes every game a triumph – even though they can’t always field a full seven-player lineup every time.
“We may not win every game, but we have a fun time doing it,” Romero said. “We always have goals, whether it’s making an actual goal or just making it through the game alive. It’s definitely an interesting season, not any that I’ve played in the past, but this is definitely one of my favorite seasons.”
With seven active players Monday, the Bulldogs lost to Neuqua Valley 12-4. Because RBHS would have no subs, the teams agreed to play 6-on-6.
The season began with 10 on the roster but two concussions as well as illnesses or other obligations often have left the winless Bulldogs short. They recently did not play three straight matches but returned to action Saturday with two matches at the Palatine Invite Saturday.
“We haven’t had a full team in a while,” RBHS coach Amy Frey said. “They’re fighting through a lot. It’s not a winning season in terms of our record but watching them come together and fight for each other has been great. They’re leaps and bounds better than the start of the year so that’s really how we’re quantifying the season.”
Romero, senior Bella Abernethy and freshman June Manning have been among leading scorers. On Monday, Abernethy took a pass from Romero and made a half-pool shot .08 before the end of the third quarter for the game’s final goal.
Against Warren and Palatine Saturday, Romero made three long-distance shots and sophomore Mia Torres, who played goalie Monday, got her first goal. For Palatine, the Bulldogs borrowed a junior varsity player from the Pirates after Manning suffered a concussion during that game.
“We always keep our heads up. No one has a sour face or a defeatist attitude,” Romero said. “Everyone’s here because they love the sport and that’s what I love about this team, about this season.”
LTHS girls water polo
Once an important new face for the Lyons Township girls water polo team, senior and third-year starter Avery Watanabe now is an important veteran for another talented yet somewhat inexperienced lineup.
“We just have to put it together for sectionals, state,” Watanabe said. “We’re getting to know each other, how to play together well. We just need to practice our team chemistry more, communication and put the finishing touches on everything.”
The Lions (13-5) were state runners-up last season and third in 2024. They are ranked No. 10 by Illpolo.com and have won as many as five straight. They beat Oak Park and River Forest 14-2, Monday, in West Suburban Conference Silver Division action.
All losses are to higher-ranked teams, including No. 9 Silver rival York 12-9, Thursday, after beating Hinsdale Central 8-3 the previous day. They have five wins over top-15 opponents, including No. 7 Mother McAuley and No. 11 Lincoln-Way Central twice.
“It’s been a roller coaster. It’s a mix of new blood and experienced players,” LTHS coach Megan Jacobs said. “Three-quarters of them work really well in the water and then there’s new elements. We’re hoping by the end of the season we’ll get used to playing with all of the elements and get a lineup down and crush it.”
Senior and returning all-stater Bella Recker already has 85 goals and 18 assists and recently committed to play at Princeton. Recker had a season-high 12 goals in Saturday’s 19-10 victory over Lincoln-Way Central.
Jacobs has been excited to see other veterans like seniors Bebe Wright (37 goals, 48 assists), Watanabe (19 goals, 38 assists) and Rose Frank (11 goals, 7 assists) and sophomore Maddie Wieczorkiewicz (19 goals, 14 assists) take further initiative to supplement the scoring punch. Sophomore Taylor Thalji (90 saves) is new at goalie. The lineup also took a hit literally when starting junior defender Eileen Cavaliere suffered a season-ending broken nose against Hinsdale Central. Senior Abbey Danaher, junior Claire Collins and sophomore Lindsay Jablonski are among others bolstering the lineup.
“We’ve all played with each other for a really long time so it hasn’t been too much of a difference but we’re just trying to keep up how we were last year,” Danaher said. “[It’s important] just showing the younger girls how putting in the hard work kind of matters and when you put in the work in practice, it shows in the games.”