Edgar Melik-StepanyanThis was a long time coming...

Edgar Melik-Stepanyan

This was a long time coming for Jennifer Freemon.

The triumphant feeling Freemon had Thursday was, in her words,

“kind of fun.”

And the exhilarating feeling the Hoover High girls’ water polo

players had was more than a year in the making.

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BOX SCORE

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*--*

Hoover 2 3 1 3 -- 9

Flintridge Prep 2 1 2 3 -- 8

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HOOVER

Palencia 3 goals and 5 steals, Hawley 3 goals, Abrahamian 1 goal, Khodjasaryan 1 goal, Abedian 1 goal, Nazaryan 3 steals. * Saves: Akoopians 2, Nazari 1.

FLINTRIDGE PREP

Fairbanks 6 goals, Kim 2 goals and 4 steals. * Saves: Brooks 8.

*--*

The Tornadoes reveled in their 9-8 nonleague victory against host

Flintridge Prep, basking in the moment of a once elusive win for

Freemon, their second-year head coach.

“This is fun,” said Freemon, whose squad -- which had lost at

least 27 consecutive matches going back to Dec. 2000 -- went 0-8

last year in her first season at the helm. “They’ve worked hard and

it’s starting to pay off, which is nice.”

Hoover (1-0) -- which posted an 0-13 record in the 2001-02

campaign following a 2-13 showing in 2000-01 -- displayed an offense,

defense and will to win that hadn’t been seen for quite some time.

It forced the Rebels (0-2) into taking unwanted shots, hounding

them beyond two meters and not allowing an inexperienced Flintridge

Prep squad to get into its offensive sets. The Tornadoes forced 19

turnovers, committing only eight themselves, and stepped up in

crucial moments.

With Hoover protecting a one-goal lead with under a minute

remaining in the fourth quarter, Flintridge Prep floundered. Hoover’s

Shana Palencia had two steals in the final minute and didn’t allow

the Rebels to get a shot off in their final position.

“It was nice for them to come in and be tough,” Freemon said. “We

emphasize defense. Defense is more important than offense. The kids

have a lot of desire.

“The defense is what really saved us.”

Palencia was not only a defensive force for Freemon, as she

finished with a match-high five steals, but she also gave the

Tornadoes another threat on offense. The sophomore had three goals,

as did teammate Claire Hawley.

Lilian Abedian, Anahit Khodjasaryan and Ariga Abrahamian each

scored a goal for Hoover. Vanui Nazaryan added three steals.

“I’m really proud of the girls,” Palencia said. “They really put

their heart into it.”

Jennifer Fairbanks led the Rebels with six goals. The senior, one

of three returnees for Flintridge Prep, did all she could to

single-handedly carry her team, but the burden was too much to load,

especially late in the match.

The Rebels -- who received two goals and four steals from junior

Tiffany Kim -- cut Hoover’s lead to one on four occasions in the

final 8:07, but they never got closer.

“I think everyone was a little nervous,” Fairbanks said. “Our

team needs to have the confidence that we can pull it together.

“We have a very new team. We have a lot of potential.”