H-F, McAuley, Sandburg ready for state water polo

Updated: May 18, 2011 11:16PM

The IHSA’s random bracket drawing brought the same old result for Homewood-Flossmoor’s girls water polo team.

Four times in the past five seasons, H-F has reached the state final tournament. Each time, the Vikings randomly have been matched with powerhouse Fenwick in the quarterfinals.

So the Vikings may feel some deja vu when they take on the Friars at 4:30 p.m. today at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire.

H-F is one of three Southland squads at state. Mother McAuley also opens play today while Sandburg’s boys team begins its title quest Friday.

“We’re excited to play Fenwick again,” H-F senior Michelle Mayer said. “We know if we can beat them, we can beat anybody.”

Fenwick will be out for revenge after the Vikings ended its two-year title reign with a 9-6 win in last season’s quarterfinal.

H-F (29-3) enters ranked No. 2 in the state by illpolo.com, while Fenwick (23-8) is ranked fifth. Still, the Vikings don’t quite feel like favorites after the Friars topped them 9-4 April 9 at Fenwick.

“In my mind they’re still the best team in state,” H-F coach Pat Duignan said.

The match features two of the best defenses in the state. H-F senior goalie Sophie Schloen has allowed just 3.6 goals per game while Fenwick’s Mackenzie Bonk has surrendered 5.2 per game.

If H-F gets by the Friars, it could set up an all-Southland semifinal if Mother McAuley can survive Fremd in a quarterfinal scheduled for 5:45 p.m. today.

As evidenced by their 17-14 record, the Mighty Macs have had their ups and downs while taking on a very tough schedule. They’ve played well in big games, however.

Last weekend, McAuley became the only team seeded third or worse to win a sectional when they upset Sandburg in the semifinals and defending state champion and host Lyons in the finals.

A key for the Mighty Macs’ late-season success has been the insertion of sophomore goalie Sarah Abbot into the lineup. She has allowed an average of 3.8 goals in her 17 games.

“Sarah has been amazing since we brought her up to varsity (about midway through the season),” McAuley coach Vanessa Carroll said.

McAuley beat Fremd 3-2 on April 23.

In boys action, Sandburg (28-5) has rolled through the past month, winning seven of its past eight games.

The one loss, however, was an 8-4 setback to Naperville Central, and that’s who the Eagles will take on in a quarterfinal at 8:15 p.m. Friday.

“It’s a tough draw, but we’re happy to be the ones who get to play them,” Sandburg coach Jim Caliendo said. “We feel like anything else we do is a bonus at this point.”

Sandburg is led by senior Erik Niemeier (113 goals), junior Matt Veldman (75 goals) and senior goalie Tony Rogina. Niemeier is the only one who saw action when the Eagles finished second in the state in 2009.

“For most of us, this is will be our first time at state,” Veldman said. “We’ve all been working for this and we are really excited.”

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