Tauranga's South African import Dylan Cronje rises up for a penalty shot. Photo / Supplied
Tauranga's South African import Dylan Cronje rises up for a penalty shot. Photo / Supplied
Tauranga water polo teams have put themselves in the midst of New Zealand's top water polo clubs in the second round of the Honda National League.
Tauranga's men's and women's teams notched up their first wins during the weekend. The women defeated Auckland club Atlantis City 13-5 at Baywave and the men put away Canterbury 17-8 at Auckland's Sacred Heart College.
It is the first time the club has entered the full division one National League in a decade.
"It's really special and well deserved to get the wins," says head coach Lionel Randall.
"People have been working behind the scenes for a number of years so it's a fantastic result."
After Saturday's success, both sides were hosted by Auckland club Marist Magic for a double-header on Sunday.
The women took to the water first, but let the home side get ahead early in the game. Behind 5-4 at halftime, they rallied to keep the Magic scoreless in the third quarter and go into the final spell ahead 6-5.
Shinae Carrington lines up a penalty against Marist at Sacred Heart College. Photo / Supplied
It was toe-to-toe in the final period with each team trading blows, before the scores were locked at 10-all with less than a minute on the clock. Goalkeeper Jessica Ingram made a heroic save with just seconds left, giving the attack momentum for Kate Enoka to convert and put Tauranga in front with just 10 seconds to play.
But it wasn't to be. Marist scored another in the dying moments to force the match into a penalty shootout, Tauranga eventually ending up on the losing end.
"It was just that little one per cent - missed shot, missed pass, off the woodwork – but that's sport. We were up against a really strong club and it's awesome to be able to mix it with them right up until the end," Randall says.
The men were next and pushed the 2017 champions right until the final whistle to finish 11-8 behind by game's end.
"I thought we got stuck in, we knew it was going to be thrown at us, we had our chances."
The league heads to Tauranga in two weeks' time, where the men will face Waitakere Blue Devils and North Harbour Turtles. The women face a rematch with Marist and last year's champions North Harbour.
"Those home games are massive for us as a club. We want to get our home crowd really passionate and behind what we're trying to achieve – that's how the sport's going to grow."
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Water Polo Fixtures at Baywave Aquatic Centre, Mount Maunganui
Saturday, May 18, 2.30pm: Tauranga women v Marist Magic. Saturday, May 18, 4pm: Tauranga men v Waitakere Blue Devils. Sunday, May 19, 12.30pm: Tauranga women v North Harbour Hammerheads. Sunday, May 19, 2pm: Tauranga men v North Harbour Turtles.
Tauranga Squads:
Men: Bae Fountain, Danny Kayes, Gabe Orchard, Nick Paterson, Ryan Hayes, Cameron Hayes, Mathew Hansen, Louis Schuler, Richard Sneddon, Richard Williams, Reuben Ronalds, Dylan Cronje, Brandon Gillespie, Theo Bos, Wilson Longhurst, Kane Smith, Connor Jones.
Women: Roana Paterson, Kate Enoka, Shinae Carrington, Kahleia Josephson, Amanda Lemon, Carly Wessels, Ella Smith, Bridget Simpson, Chanelle West, Jessica Ingram, Charlotte Narbey, Malia Josephson, Maddi Culpan, Renee Burggraaf, Parker Thomas, Ruby Helm, Lucy Mano, Nicole McLaren, Simone Couvee.
