Ransom Everglades girls edge rival Gulliver to advance to state water polo semifinals
Ransom Everglades and Gulliver Prep - the two longtime rivals which have dominated high school girls’ water polo in Florida for decades - found themselves in a nail-biter once again on Tuesday afternoon.
Amanda Harris, one of seven seniors on Ransom’s team, lifted the ball with her left hand high above the water and fired a shot that skipped off two Gulliver defenders arms and into the goal to settle the issue.
Harris’ shot with 2:05 left in the game proved to be the game-winner in Ransom Everglades’ 12-11 victory over Gulliver in a regional final at its home pool which sent the host Raiders back to the state tournament.
Ransom Everglades (26-4) advances to state for the first time since winning it all in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Raiders avenged a loss in the regional semifinal round last season to Gulliver.
Ransom will face Winter Park in a state semifinal at Belen Jesuit on April 22 at 2 p.m. The winner will face either Lake Nona or Boca Raton on April 23 in the final at 2 p.m.
“A game like this is a reminder that nothing is easy when you get to the playoffs,” Ransom coach Eric Lefebvre said. “The girls remain focused and treated the game like the score was 0-0 the whole time and it was great.”
Led by Gabriella Montalvo’s game-high six goals, Gulliver (15-9) never let Ransom gain more than a three-goal edge in the match and tied the game at 11 with 4:30 left in the fourth quarter on her final score.
But Ransom’s defense buckled down and did not allow a quality scoring chance over the remaining time in regulation.
Ransom junior goalie Eleonora Cavallini had a major say in that effort with several key saves which prevented Gulliver from tying or taking the lead earlier in the game.
“(Cavallini) told everybody on that last possession that this could be our last possession so settle it down and we could do this,” Ransom senior Sabrina Shipley said. “Coming from her, someone who is usually quiet back there, that was really inspiring. She plays club with a lot of the girls on the Gulliver team so this game has kind of been a big hurdle for her so it was great to see.”
Shipley and senior Mary Logan Woolsey led Ransom on the offensive end with four goals each, scoring one per quarter while Harris finished with three goals overall and Holly Alesandro had one.
The balanced scoring is something Lefebvre said has been a key to Ransom’s success this season.
“Our biggest thing is having everybody contribute,” Lefebvre said. “If I look at the scoresheet after the game and it’s a bunch of little checkmarks on different players, I know we’re doing a good job. That’s our identity.”
Belen, Aquinas boys advance
▪ Belen 19, Gulliver 10: Carlos Veccio scored three of his five goals in the fourth quarter to help the unbeaten Wolverines (18-0) pull away and secure a trip to the state semifinals next week. Belen, which returned to the state final four for the first time since winning back-to-back championships in 2015-16, will host the final two rounds and face Oviedo at 6:30 p.m. in a semifinal on April 22.
If they advance, the Wolverines could face either Orlando Dr. Phillips or St. Thomas Aquinas in the final on April 23 at 4 p.m.
Belen’s squad outscored the defending state champion Raiders (17-10) in the second half, 14-6, as Dylan Veccio and Zachary Callejas also finished with four goals each and Daniel de Lamar had three.
Gulliver was led by Harry Sharma, who finished with five goals.
▪ St. Thomas Aquinas 18, Boca Raton 15: The Raiders (23-4) advanced to the state semifinals for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons and will try to win their first state championship since 2013. Aquinas showed off its offensive firepower early and often as Tony Vlasic and Dylan Chaimpwicz each had six goals to help the Raiders secure the win on Tuesday night at South Broward High. Aquinas will take on Dr. Phillips on April 22 at 5 in the state semifinals.
Vlasic also had three assists while Ayden Castillo and Nicholas Santarsiero each had two goals and two assists.
This story was originally published April 13, 2022 at 8:15 AM.
