Seattle, WA -- The University of Washington Women's Water Polo team will kick off their official 2019 season with the Gold Team heading to the Snowball Chance in Hole tournament in Tacoma, WA, hosted by Puget Sound Polo.
The Gold Team is the development team for the University of Washington Women's Water Polo Club and provides opportunities for newer players to gain valuable experience and playing time. This weekend the Gold team will feature 19 players to compete against several other Washington club teams at Mt Tahoma High School in Tacoma, WA.
This weekend's roster is a mixture of team veterans from last season as well as six first time players joining the Huskies' roster.
The action begins when the Huskies square off against PSP Purple at 9am on Saturday, 1/19, followed by a 1pm match against PSP Pink, and will finish out the day when they take on PSP Women at 3pm. The Huskies will continue on Sunday with games at 11am and 1pm against Narrows WPC and Northwest WPC.
The team will be led by last year's captain, Arielle Howell (#6, Olympia, WA) and senior, Nicole Sargent (#5, Arcadia, CA), along with support from freshman newcomers, Bailey Deck (#10, San Diego, CA) and Ekaterina "Katya" Andren (#8, Gig Harbor, WA). Last year's Gold Team offensive leader, Sophia Ko (#13, Puyallup, WA) will also be suited up and ready to start tallying up goals for the 2019 season. Annie Shoemaker (#1, Seattle, WA) will begin her third season as goalie with the team and will be looking to improve upon her 76 saves from last season.
Veteran standouts from the Senior Team will also be joining the tournament and ready to get in if needed; including senior team captains, Mary Elizabeth Ward (#7, San Rafael, CA) and Karli Stone #4, Tacoma, WA) as well as 2-meter defender standout, Jalene Weatherholt (#17, San Jose, CA).
The Huskies are just coming off their first two weeks of practice for the 2019 season after a much needed winter break, and are ready to hit the ground running. Expect solid team play with a focus on counterattack from this veteran group.
Come out and support the Huskies this weekend at Mt Tahoma High School in Tacoma, WA. If you can't make it, then follow us on Twitter for live tweets of all the matches this weekend.