The provincial 19-and-under water polo team won the first National Championship League (NCL) tournament of the season the weekend of Nov. 10 at Regina's Lawson Aquatic Centre thanks, in part, to the play of a local water polo phenom.
Emily Marshall, who grew up playing water polo for the Estevan Sharks, played hole set and hole check for Team Saskatchewan at the NCL tournament. The provincial team competed in five games during the Nov. 10 to 13 competition with Marshall leading the team in assists despite being forced to leave the action in the final game of the tourney due to injury.
Team Saskatchewan, which entered the tournament as the top seed due to their NCL Western Nationals championship and silver-medal finish at the NCL Canadian Championships last season, began the competition with a come-from-behind 11-10 win over B.C.'s Pacific Storm on Nov. 10. The provincial team played the Calgary Renegades the next morning and dominated throughout the match winning 12-7. Team Saskatchewan followed up the victory with a 17-4 pasting of the Edmonton Thunderbirds later that afternoon.
The Green and White faced a much tougher challenge in the Edmonton Tsunami the next day, but thanks to a five-goal outburst in the second quarter they were able to double up the Tsunami 14-7. Team Saskatchewan faced B.C.'s Fraser Valley in the NCL final on Nov. 13 in what proved to be a physical contest between the two rivals.
Team Saskatchewan jumped out to an early 3-1 lead after the first quarter, which they built upon in the second period taking a 7-4 advantage. Marshall was injured late in the second quarter and could not return to action for the rest of the match. Both clubs scored two goals apiece in the third quarter with Team Saskatchewan holding on for the 10-8 championship victory after the final frame.
After the contest, it was revealed that Marshall suffered a hairline fracture of her left radial bone. The injury will keep the athlete on the sidelines until January at the earliest, but she has begun an altered training program to make sure she's ready for action when the cast comes off.
