UPDATE 2: The girls lost to Barlow 7-6.

UPDATE: The girls will play Sam Barlow for third place after losing to West Albany 10-8 Nov. 14. 

With an undefeated league record, the girls varsity water polo team is making a “splash” this year. The Cardinals repeated as Metro League champions with a record of 10-0 and an overall record of 18-6.

“We’re heading towards our goal, which is to win state,” senior co-captain Julia Page said. Last year, they won the Metro League but lost to Newberg in the state championship game.

The girls now play West Albany Nov. 14 in the state semi-finals at Osborn Aquatic Center in Corvallis. A victory would put them in the championship game against the winner of the Tualatin-Barlow match Nov. 15 at 6:10 p.m.; with a loss, they would play for third place at 12:30 p.m.

If the girls succeed in winning the title, they will be the first ever Lincoln water polo team to capture the championship, which senior KenaDee Needham feels is possible as they “are the hardest working team in the state.”

In the first round of playoffs, the girls beat Sprague 18-2 and Reynolds 13-9. “The (Reynolds) game wasn’t as clean as we would have liked, but we were happy because we fought hard,”  said senior co-captain Elise Cugnart, who also won the Metro League MVP award.

Their rigorous pre-season practices, which Cugnart believes “set [them] up for a good season,” consisted of daily doubles five days a week, two hours of dry-land activities, and 1 hour-45 minutes of water activities. Showing a good bond between the teammates, the girls have a specific warm-up they do for each game, a pep-talk after the game, and finally finish off their tradition with a spirited cheer.

The boys, who suffered many injuries, finished 4th in the Metro League and also went to Corvallis for the first round of playoffs but lost to West Albany 16-1.