Sports
ETHS girls water polo: Strong start helps Kits sink Trevs for tourney title
Chloe Lundervold had never scored three goals in a varsity water polo game before.
But the Evanston junior rose to the occasion when the Wildkits needed her most.
Lundervold poured in three goals in the first eight minutes of the Central Suburban League South division tournament championship game Saturday morning at Glenbrook North and paced the Kit girls to a second straight tournament title.
Dominating just like they did during the regular season, the Wildkits overpowered nemesis New Trier 9-2 and improved to 20-4-1 on the season. It marked Evanston’s third win in four tries this spring against the Trevians, with the other game resulting in a 5-5 tie.
Evanston’s fast start behind Lundervold left no doubt to the outcome. The Kits were able to find the energy they needed despite the fact that a half dozen seniors attended the school prom the night before and could have been expected to feel some fatigue.
But just like last year’s state runner-up team, this group refuses to lose.
“Winning this tournament is one of the goals we talked about before the season started,” pointed out ETHS second-year head coach Maggie Hatcher, “We wanted to make sure they all had fun at prom — and that they also knew their responsibilities to the team. They understand that they have to keep themselves accountable.
“And when no one was late for the bus, that felt like a good sign to me.”
Lundervold’s three goals, plus goals from Alice Lemmon, Maya Vincent and Tacy Jamison, sparked ETHS to a 6-0 halftime advantage, and the Kits were never threatened despite suffering through an offensive lull when they were outscored 2-1 in the third period.
Also contributing goals in the second half were Lemmon, Teagan Kenney and Vincent again.
During the regular conference season, the Wildkits went undefeated and scored in double figures in half of those games. But Hatcher and Co. didn’t take a tournament title for granted.
“Even if something is supposed to happen, you still have to do it,” Hatcher said. “Our main goal today was to take control early and stay in control, just play our game. It was great to have the energy we had.”
Evanston defeated New Trier for the tourney title in 2024, and the two teams are seeded 1-2 for next week’s Glenbrook South Sectional tournament. Hatcher, a former standout player for the Kits herself, knows that New Trier had the pre-eminent program in the conference for years, and just two years ago the Wildkits won the regular season matchups only to lose to New Trier in the postseason.
But the vibe between the two programs is trending in Evanston’s favor now.
“They’re always in the back of our minds [in the postseason], and I wouldn’t say that’s gone,” Hatcher added. “I think now we’ve figured out some things about how to play to our strengths and how to show up for any big game, regardless of who the opponent is.
“At the sectional, it will be about just taking one step at a time. We can’t look past the Wednesday game [against Glenbrook North] or a possible Friday game. The best thing they can do is just stay in the present.”
Lundervold’s unexpected scoring outburst came from a player who netted just 14 goals during the regular season, but still was chosen to the all-conference team along with goalie Ella Feeney, Vincent and Jamison. Feeney, a senior, was also recognized as the winner of the Richard Dux “Goalie of the Year Award” named in honor of the former Niles West coach. She finished with eight saves to deny the Trevs on Saturday.
Lundervold’s all-around play left an impression on CSL South coaches, and she might be one of the most improved players in the state of Illinois considering that she rarely got off the bench for last year’s talent-laden squad.
“We set our goal to come out hard and play our best water polo today, so I had a lot of energy at the start,” said the Evanston junior. “I’ve never had three goals in a varsity game before. I just kept working hard for the next possession and the next possession after that.
“I didn’t play much last year, but I played club in the summer and the winter and the coaches really pushed me to do better. I think I’m just more confident all around this year. We all put in a lot of work on this team. We push each other and we trust each other. It’s all about effort and hard work for us.”