Dexter Levels Up at the Chelsea Bulldog Water Polo Invitational

Information provided by Kate Walton

It was water polo palooza at the Chelsea Bulldog Invitational for the Dexter women this weekend with one game Friday night and three on Saturday.

In the first game versus Grand Blanc the Dreads fell behind early but made a strong run late with six goals in the fourth quarter to bring it almost all the way back, falling 8-11. Marea Balcom led with three goals, Annie Wesorick and Diem Lee had two each and Shelby Waltz added one more. The goalies kept it close with Avery Nesbitt’s eight saves and Kori Wilson saving four.

Saturday started with a matchup against a strong Birmingham Seaholm team. Marea scored twice and Laura Walton had one against Seaholm’s nine. Annie, Marea, Shelby, Ali Genske, Marissa Genske, Diem and Emma Bishop all had steals while Avery saved ten shots in goal.

The team fought hard in their second game of the day against Troy United. Playing their best game to date, the Dreads outlasted Troy 16-14 in a back-and-forth game for their first victory of the season. Goals were everywhere with Annie scoring four, Ali Genske, Laura and Emma each had one and Marea was in the zone with nine! The fast pace of the game made for a lot of goals but the Dreads played great defense with steals by Annie (2), Marea (8), Shelby (2), Ali (1), Laura (6) and Emma (1). With shots coming fast and furious, Avery had nine saves and Kori added one.

As fast and furious as the Troy game was, the final game of the tournament against Birmingham Groves was a tough defensive battle. In the end, the Dreads notched another win 6-4 with two goals each by Annie and Marea and one from both Shelby and Emma. Defensively, Marea, Shelby, Marissa, Laura, Emma all had steals to end offensive possessions for Groves, Shelby and Laura blocked shots, and Avery had an amazing 16 saves to preserve the win.

A specific shout out goes to Marea Balcom who won every one of the opening sprints over the four games—even if one was tapped out for a turnover.

The Dreads look to continue their win streak in their next game at home Tuesday night versus Saline-Milan at 6 PM at Wylie Community Pool.

Photos provided by Francie Wesorick