Boys Water Polo: Andrew Picks Up the Pace

After dropping a one-goal decision to Bradley-Bourbonnais two weeks ago, Andrew's boys water polo was determined to settle the score in the rematch on Tuesday in its home pool.

And that's what the Thunderbolts did. Jimmy Fischer, John Fitzgerald and goalkeeper Will Cotton led the T-Bolts back from an early deficit as they notched a 12-9 victory.

“We justed played lazy defense in that first quarter,” Andrew coach Sigfredo Cruz said. “But we felt we could match up with them better than they could match up with us. It worked out.”

Following the slow start that saw the Braves (11-10) take a 4-2 lead, it was Fischer who turned things around for the Thunderbolts (16-10). He scored the first two goals of the second quarter to tie the game at 4-4. 

“I’ve been around the sport for a while,” Fischer said.  “I have two older sisters who played, and they introduced me to the sport at the age of 7.”

Fischer finished with a game-high five goals, but he had plenty of help in the scoring department. Fitzgerald chipped in four goals, and senior Joris Malkevicius added two more.

Fitzgerald, who also swims for the T-Bolts during the winter months, scored a goal in every quarter. He thinks Andrew is peaking both in and out of the pool at the right time.

“We had six players ejected in a game against Conant," he said. "After that, we got a lot closer as a team.”

“Having to go that deep into the bench, the guys pulled together," Cruz said. "That game has been a turning point in our season.”

Hill Love led Bradley with three goals, but the Braves weren’t able to duplicate another fourth quarter comeback against the T-Bolts.  Bradley coach Robert White was still positive about his team's play.

“With the playoffs approaching, we tried something new and it seemed to work," he said. "We are figuring it out.  We just couldn’t stop their fastbreak.”

The Thunderbolts next face rival Stagg.

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