The Saline Reporter
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Hornets go 1-2, finish seventh at state finals
Last-second win over Okemos ends season on positive note
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: June 7, 2007
After the most successful season in program history, it was only fitting that the 2007 Saline girls' water polo season finished on yet another high note.
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The Hornets traveled to Jenison last weekend for their first-ever appearance in the state tournament and finished seventh out of eight teams. But even seventh place didn't come easily as Saline had to earn it in a final game against Okemos, a state power that had beaten the Hornets 7-5 earlier in the season .
With virtually nothing but pride on the line, the Hornets emerged 8-7 victors over the Chiefs after an Anne-Marie Giardina goal with only two seconds left.
"It was very, very exciting to get that win," Silverman said. "The girls made the choice to really show up and make sure that we left the tournament with a win."
The Okemos match-up was Saline's third game of the tournament after each had started the tournament 0-2. In their first-round game against West region runner-up Rockford, Saline fell behind 8-0 at the half but kept the scoreline respectable through senior Ashley Mulder's four second-half goals.
"They really are an elite team," Silverman said of Rockford, which would go on to take second place. "But part of it is that for all of our girls, this was their first time at state and they were a little jittery. We told them afterward, though, that a 10-4 loss to that team is nothing to be ashamed of."
The Hornets would pick up their play against East Kentwood in the next round, but unfortunately not until the second half. Saline trailed 5-0 at the break before storming back and cutting the lead to a single goal before falling. Mulder, Lindsey DeHaan, Katie Kerch, Emily Vizza, and Laura Kuzma all scored one goal apiece before time expired and left the Saline rally a little bit short.
"At the beginning of the second half, we stormed out like I've never seen them do before," Silverman said.
That momentum put Saline ahead 2-1 after one quarter against Okemos and stretched the lead to 6-3 at one point before the Chiefs battled back, tying the game at 7 in the fourth quarter.
But Saline earned the game's final possession and made it count, forcing an exclusion foul on the Chiefs before Giardina patiently picked out the corner.
"What that showed was that we could keep our feet on the ground, so to speak, even in such a big pressure situation," Silverman said. "It was the perfect way to end this season."
Giardina finished with three goals while Mulder posted her second four-goal game of the tournament on her way to being named second-team All-Tournament. Alysse Hart added Saline's other score.
The win was the final match for five Saline seniors: Mulder, DeHaan, Kerch, Vizza, and goalie Sammy Haller.
"We've maybe had teams with more talent, but we've never had a group of girls that played this well together," Silverman said of his seniors' commitment to team. "We had an up-and-down season and it was their leadership, to step in and say 'enough is enough' and that the team had to come together. I'm so proud of this team and what they accomplished."
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