The most recent water polo tournament for Bienfait’s Emily Marshall took her to the 18U Junior Olympics in Orange County, California, from July 25 to 31.
Competing for the Capitals team, based out of Arlington, Va., Marshall had a productive tournament, even though she was one of the youngest players on the team, and two years younger than some of her opponents.
The activities started on July 26, with a team practice in the morning and then an expo. Her mother, Kim Marshall, reported the expo is an opportunity to connect with college coaches for seniors, and for others to meet in the sport. She was presented with the opportunity to play in Barcelona next summer.
There were also numerous connections to be made in the water polo community.
The actual tournament started on July 27, with four different categories: platinum and gold in the championship division and silver and bronze in the classic division. A total of 96 teams were entered. Thanks to her team’s fourth place finish at the qualifier in May, Marshall’s team was slotted in the classic ivision.
The Capitals started the tournament in pool A against the Los Angeles Water Polo Club, the top-seeded team in the classic division. Marshall’s team dropped a 17-5 decision. Marshall was able to contribute both offensively and defensively, registering a goal and an assist.
In their second game against the No. 24 team, the South County Herriman, Marshall came up with a goal and two helpers in the Capitals 19-3 win.
The final game of the day was with the Northwest Blue Crush. The Capitals offence came to life with a 15-8 victory. Marshall chipped in with three helpers.
On the second day, the Capitals faced the Exeter Water Polo Club in the first round of the silver division round robin. Kim Marshall reported the Exeter entry was a strong team who went on to place very highly in the tournament, and they thought the Capitals represented their toughest competition all tournament. Emily Marshall supplied a goal and an assist in a 9-6 loss.
Then the Capitals dropped a 7-5 decision against South Valley to determine which bracket they would play in. The defeat left them battling three other teams for positions 21 to 24.
Their first playoff game on July 29 saw them lose 11-6 to the American River team. Marshall came up with a goal and two assists. They followed that up with a 10-6 loss to the Northern California Aquatics team. Marshall added two goals and two assists in the game.
In their final game of the competition, the Capitals defeated the Tribe from California 13-7. The victory left them in 23rd place in the silver division and 73rd overall for the tournament.
