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| L-R: Matt Ryan, Michael Rojas, Stu Sheldon, Graham Olson, Kevin Hughes (back), Neal Laxpati (front), Perry Brandes, Dave Courter (back), Erin Cunefare (front, w/ trophy), Robert Brandes, Leo Panagiotakopoulos. |
Dynamo Water Polo Club carried home their
third-straight South Atlantic Coast Water Polo League
championship at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, NC. Their
5-0 record this weekend runs Dynamo WPC to 28-0 in SACWPL matches. They
are the only champion in the three year history of the league.
“Defense wins championships” explained Dynamo
WPC player/coach Leo Panagiotakopoulos. “Especially in the championship
against the Charlotte Sharks, we emphasized strong defense above all
else. Our focus generated blocks, turnovers and counterattack
opportunities that we converted. Real team water polo.”
For the third year in a row, Dynamo took a very
different line-up to Greensboro. The 2015 roster included an age spread
of 38 years from oldest to youngest player. Both seventeen, Perry Brandes
(Alpharetta H.S. 2016) and Michael Rojas (Collins Hill H.S. 2016) provided
dynamic energy, especially on defense and in transition. Just back from
her freshman varsity campaign at Cal Lutheran University, Erin Cunefare
(Lakeside H.S. 2014) demonstrated maturity, skill and strength in all four
phases of the game including a perfect 5M penalty goal. “Our sustained
results over the past three years, in this league and other tournaments, is a
credit to Coach Leo,” explained one DWPC player. “We’ve had good players
for over twenty years but Coach Leo has us all playing clear individual roles
within a well-understood system.”
Dynamo easily dispatched Hampton Roads (VA) in
its first match. Triangle (NC) was next on the schedule. After a
close first half, the speed and fitness of Dynamo broke through and Triangle
fell away. The last Saturday match put Dynamo against the Washington
Wetskins. This match was closer than planned but Dynamo made defensive
adjustments in the third quarter and pulled away early in the fourth.
Championship Sunday started with an 8AM Dynamo
match against Greensboro (NC). After a comfortable win, Dynamo grabbed
some rest before they faced the Charlotte Sharks for the championship, at
11:30AM. Dynamo grumbled about an 8AM game while the Sharks didn’t play
until the championships, but perhaps the “wake up” game was a blessing in
disguise. Coach Leo had Dynamo prepped for Charlotte with a hybrid
“triple match-up” defense and topped off with PowerBars for energy.
Dynamo led by six goals at the half, but Charlotte made a big push early in the
third and closed the gap to three. If not for two beautiful, deep “on the
hand” outlet passes from Dynamo goalie Neal Laxpati that led to quick counterattack
goals, the Dynamo lead would’ve been down to a single goal by the end of the
third. Dynamo fitness and patience on offense held the Sharks at bay and
delivered a third SACWPL championship trophy for the team from Atlanta.
