Mundelein’s goalie smiled and winked at LHS’ distressed water polo team, holding onto the ball with 17 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
His team, up by one goal, simply needed to prevent Libertyville from scoring in order to take the victory and the conference title.
After he threw the ball to the other end of the pool, to prevent a shot clock violation, LHS was faced with one last opportunity to tie the game and send it into overtime.
Clayton Kullander, Libertyville’s goalie, passed the ball in with 15 seconds remaining, looking for anyone open. The tension built with every second that passed, until only four seconds remained in regulation.
Then, junior Tommy Keefe got the ball and fired it to the back of the net. Keefe went wild. The Cats team went wild. The fans went wild. Then, the referees ruled: no goal.
The players, along with Libertyville Coach Ivan Munoz, are still at a loss as to why it was ruled a no goal.
“Put nicely, it was just a bad call. He had possession of the ball. He should have scored. It was just a bad call,” Munoz said.
The LHS players might be disappointed about the call, but they are holding themselves accountable for losing the game.
"We should not have put the refs in the position where they decided the game," senior Patrick Hughes said.
Moments later, time expired from the clock, the game ended, and fans were still trying to figure out what had just happened.
This is how the varsity boys water polo team’s quest for the conference title came to an end on April 19, defeated by the visiting Mundelein Mustangs in a 9-8 nail-biter.
"It was also a lot about pride. LHS has never beaten Mundelein in water polo, and even though we still haven't, I am very proud of our whole team playing like it was the last game of the season," Hughes said.
Entering Tuesday’s game, the Cats had allowed 9.6 goals per game, while scoring only 8.3. Despite this, the Cats still owned a solid 9-6 record.
The team has been through close games all season (of their nine wins, five have been by three points or less), and their battle against Mundelein was the same.
The Cats did have several miscues throughout the course of the game. Several times, Libertyville goalie Clayton Kullander threw passes to players who were not looking. The miscues hurt, but did not cause the loss for the Cats.
Neither team scored for the first several minutes of the first quarter, but both offenses found their rhythm quickly after Mundelein scored near the five minute mark of the first quarter on a shot that snuck past Kullander to the corner of the net.
The teams then traded goals, senior members Ian Kinsella and Ben Snader scoring for LHS. After one quarter of play, the score was knotted at two apiece.
Libertyville took its first lead of the game early on in the second quarter, as another shot by Snader blazed into the back of the net. Mundelein would answer back just a minute and a half later, though, once again tying the game.
Junior Tommy Keefe was awarded a penalty shot with 2:27 remaining in the half due to an infraction near the Mundelein goal. He succeeded on the attempt, putting Libertyville back on top by a score of 4-3. After another Mundelein goal in the final minute of the second quarter, though, the game entered halftime with a 4-4 tie.
The Mustangs began the third quarter with a quick goal, their first of three in the quarter.
After a several minute drought, Hughes pulled Libertyville even, netting a very difficult hook shot into the corner of the goal.
LHS did not score again in the third quarter, though Mundelein scored twice within the final two minutes.
Down by a score of 7-5 to begin the final quarter, a comeback appeared challenging for the Cats. 47 seconds into the quarter, though, Tommy Keefe put home a shot, cutting the Mustangs' lead in half.
Another goal from Mundelein, followed by a score from senior Mitch Boynton, and Libertyville still trailed by one goal with four and a half minutes to play.
Momentum began to swell in Libertyville’s favor, though, as the comeback seemed like only a matter of time. But then Boynton was called for a foul with 2:10 remaining on the clock.
Two seconds later, the Mustangs blew a shot past Kullander, making the difference a decisive two points.
Still, Keefe and the Wildcats refused to go down without a fight.
With 48 seconds remaining, Keefe quieted the Mundelein student section, rifling a goal into the net, giving Libertyville one last glimmer of hope.
Though the Cats came close to tying the game on a last-chance shot by Keefe, the game would come to an end four seconds later, and Mundelein came away with the victory.
"We had plenty of opportunities and just had a few more miscues than we would have liked, but I can promise that we will be ready for a rematch at Sectionals," Hughes said.
Sectionals will begin on May 12 at Vernon Hills High School. The Cats still have several invites left to attend first, including the Prarie Lake Invite and Conant Invite.