WATER POLO: Saline Wins Tournament Championship Game in Shootout

The Saline Men’s Water Polo team improved to 11-5 on the season with a run of four wins this past weekend in the Hornet Invite, including a double overtime shootout thriller against Ann Arbor Pioneer.

The Hornets, who have been ranked in the top 10 of the weekly Michigan Water Polo Association poll all season, opened the tournament with a convincing 14-3 win over Okemos on Friday night.

Senior co-captain Jonah Bentley led the attack with seven goals, four assists, and four steals. Junior Sean Spooner had three goals, three assists, and two steals. Sophomore Carson Wood contributed two goals, while freshmen Cooper Jansma and Carson Ratajczak each notched a goal. Ratajczak also had four steals. In goal, junior Jacob Clauser stopped eight of 11 shots.

The Hornets opened play on Saturday with a dominant 18-2 win over Grand Blanc.

Bentley and Spooner each had five goals. Other Hornets on the scoreboard were Ratajczak (2), freshman Ellis Wensuc (2), Jansma (1), junior Gabriel Romero (1), and sophomore Brayden Mamo-Rennert (1). Senior co-captain AJ Hayes added a goal and six assists. In goal, Clauser made seven saves.

Next up on Saturday was Troy United.

Bentley again led the scoring in the 15-3 win, logging seven goals and three steals. Spooner added three goals and two steals, while Ratajczak had two goals. Clauser, Wensuc, and Jansma each contributed a goal. Hayes made many of those goals possible by contributing six assists and three steals. Goalie Drew Lawrentz, a junior, recorded four saves.

The win set up the championship game against Ann Arbor Pioneer, which also won its first three games.

The Hornets jumped out to a 4-2 led after the first quarter and led 10-7 at the half, after a second quarter battle that saw Bentley and Pioneer’s Ben Worden each score four goals. The Pioneers stormed back to an 11-11 tie at the end of the third quarter, setting up an exciting fourth quarter.

Pioneer scored with about a minute remaining to take a 14-13 lead, and a couple of broken plays stymied the Hornets’ chances to tie. But gritty defense, a spectacular save by Clauser in goal, and Bentley securing possession of the loose ball right near the goal line gave the Hornets one final chance—and they capitalized. Hayes lobbed a perfect pass to Spooner, who fired it into the Pioneers’ net with four seconds remaining to tie the game and force the shootout.

In the shootout, Pioneer’s first shooter missed, and then Bentley, Hayes, and Pioneer’s other two shooters exchanged goals before Spooner missed his attempt, forcing the double OT. Bentley, Hayes, and Pioneer’s first two shooters exchanged goals before Clauser saved Pioneer’s final shot to again set up Spooner. This time, he converted, and the Hornets swam away with a 22-21 win.

“Our team played great this weekend, and I am especially proud of their effort against a very tough Pioneer team,” said Head Coach Chris Stankovic. “Our leaders came up big, and our younger players all stepped up. Now we need to keep the momentum going against a very tough string of opponents ahead.”

The Hornets hit the road to face #8 Birmingham Seaholm on Tuesday and then the Mason Tournament September 20-21. Their next home game is September 26, which is Teacher Appreciation Night. The varsity game begins at 6:15, with the JV game immediately following. Tickets are $6 and are available through gofan.co, Venmo, or cash payment at the door.

- Story by Amy Spooner,  President, Saline Men's Water Polo Board

Photos below by Javier Romero and Erin Clauser

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