With the regular season winding down, Apopka’s girls and boys water polo teams continue to search for consistency while building toward the postseason. On Monday night at home against Windermere, both squads fought hard but ultimately came up short in a pair of home losses. 

Apopka’s girls team (3-9) shook off a slow start and mounted a strong second-half push before falling 12-9. 

Windermere controlled the opening quarter, taking advantage of early offensive struggles from the Blue Darters to build a 4-0 lead. 

In the second quarter, Apopka looked to generate offense in transition behind goalkeeper Reilly Batchelor, who consistently pushed long outlet passes up the pool. But missed chances turned into quick counters for Windermere, including a goal less than a minute into the period.

The Wolverines stretched the lead to 7-0 after a well-placed lob over Batchelor, continuing to capitalize on transition opportunities. 

Apopka broke through late in the half. Alexis McReynolds found space in the middle and buried a shot into the corner as the shot clock expired for the team’s first goal. Emma Kirkland added another in the final seconds, cutting the deficit to 8-2 at halftime. 

Windermere extended the lead early in the third with a penalty goal and a fast-break finish, but Apopka began to settle in offensively. 

Alexandra Vernier sparked the momentum with a long-range goal, then followed with a steal that led to Brooke Bemiss scoring on the counter. Vernier remained active defensively, creating another takeaway, though the Wolverines held off the next chance. 

Still, Windermere added a late goal to carry an 11-4 lead into the fourth. 

Apopka never stopped fighting and made things interesting. 

After McReynolds opened with a counterattack goal, the Blue Darters began applying steady pressure. After multiple saves by Windermere’s goalkeeper, senior Sam Powell scored off a rebound to cut into the deficit. 

Vernier added a far-post finish, and Bemiss followed with a near-post goal off another strong outlet from Batchelor to make it 12-8 with three minutes remaining. 

Apopka’s defense tightened late, forcing turnovers and a shot clock violation to create more opportunities. McReynolds converted a penalty shot to pull within three, but a final chance from Bemiss hit the crossbar before time expired. 

McReynolds led with three goals, an assist and four steals. Bemiss had two goals, an assist and two steals, while Vernier added two goals and four steals. 

“I think we fought really well,” head coach Lauren Schmidt said. “We figured out their strategy and adjusted as the game went on. We were a little rusty early, but the second half was a lot better.” 

Schmidt, who took over as head coach less than a month ago, said the team is still coming together. 

“We’ve come a long way,” she said. “We’re continuously getting closer as a team and figuring out our strengths and weaknesses.” 

Boys lose early lead 

The Apopka boys (3-10) followed with a competitive effort but lost 11-8 after a strong second half from Windermere. 

Goalkeeper Travis Novak set the tone early, making a save and delivering an outlet pass to Carter Langford for a counterattack goal. Novak followed with another stop and assist, finding Isaac Sanchez for a one-on-one finish as Apopka took a 2-1 lead after the first quarter. 

The second quarter turned into a defensive battle. Novak made a key stop on a breakaway, but Windermere answered to tie the game midway through. 

Apopka regained the lead when Sanchez drew a foul on a counter and converted a penalty shot to make it 3-2, but Windermere responded before halftime to even it at 3-3. 

Windermere took control in the third, scoring on its opening possession and shortly after adding another quick goal to go up 5-3. 

After a steal from Benjamin Langford, Sanchez converted a one-on-one chance to bring Apopka within one, but Windermere answered with three straight goals to stretch the lead to 8-4. 

Sanchez scored late in the quarter to make it 8-5, but Windermere added another early in the fourth to maintain control. 

Apopka responded with a well-executed counter as Sanchez found Carter Langford across the crease for a goal. Novak later came up with a key penalty save, but Windermere continued to capitalize on transition chances to stay in front. 

The Blue Darters kept pushing late. Preston McReynolds added a goal, and Carter Langford scored off a steal in front of the cage in the final minute, but they couldn’t overcome the deficit. 

Sanchez led with four goals and an assist, while Carter Langford added three goals and an assist. Novak finished with 13 saves and two assists. 

“I was impressed with the defense,” head coach Reide Wilson said. “We showed a lot of fight, and the schematics were really good, they fouled when needed and mitigated their biggest threats for the most part.” 

Wilson said team conditioning played a key role down the stretch. 

“It ultimately came down to conditioning,” he said. “We’ve got to get back in the pool and swim if we want to start winning games.” 

With districts approaching, Wilson said the focus is simple. 

“The rest of these practices are going to be swim-heavy,” he said. “It’s going to come down to conditioning and how hard we’re willing to work over the next week.” 

Both Apopka water polo teams head on the road this weekend to compete in the Lyman Invitational tournament.