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ILLINOIS WATER POLO |
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Tuesday - March 9, 2004 GAME RECAPS
STEVENSON EARNS HARD-FOUGHT VICTORY OVER ST VIATOR By Aaron Brown
Lincolnshire, IL -- It might not have looked easy at the beginning, but solid defense and execution on the offensive end helped #4 Stevenson (1-0) get an important early-season victory over St. Viator 17-3.
Keely Wimer scored three of her seven goals in the final two minutes of the opening quarter as the Patriots slowly grabbed a 4-0 lead. She added three more goals and a beautiful assist on a goal by Teri Bukofzer in the second quarter, as Stevenson held #14 St. Viator scoreless for almost the entire first half. St. Viator's Sarah Ostling ended the shutout with a backhand goal with :01 left on the clock to make the score 8-1 at the break.
Any chance of the momentum changing was eliminated when Wimer netted the first two goals of the second half, one of them coming on a 6-on-5 advantage to put the Patriots up 10-1. Becca Wydra hit the crossbar on St Viator's next scoring opportunity during a 6-on-5 advantage, and Ashley Belbin added a backhand goal for the Lions from the right wing moments later to make the score 10-2.
That was as close at St. Viator (0-1) would get, as Stevenson went on to tally the next four goals of the game. Ostling scored her second goal from in front of the net with 2:12 remaining to make the score 14-3, but Stevenson closed the game out with three straight goals to get the 17-3 victory.
The game marked the first appearance of St. Viator's new head coach Adam Clementi, a former player at Miami (Ohio). It was also the first game in goal for Stephanie Kray, who had 11 saves in the game but was no match for the offense of Stevenson. She made three tremendous saves in the first quarter, including a block on Bukofzer on a 6-on-5 advantage with the score 1-0 with 1:52 remaining in the opening quarter. Viator, however, went 0-for-3 on the their powerplay opportunities in the first period, and they failed to exploit two quick ejection calls on Bukofzer. The Lions ended up missing on all four of their 6-on-5 opportunities throughout the game.
Wimer totaled seven goals and five assists, while Jessie Shopiro contributed four goals for the Patriots. Nicole Applegate added two late goals for Stevenson, and Bukofzer, Sam Gibson, Sarah Boedecker, and Mia Cipperoni rounded out the scoring with a goal each in the win.
Stevenson returns to action to host #5 Evanston (0-0) next Tuesday at 5:00pm, while St Viator travels to Loyola on Thursday for their next game.
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