PHS balancing act paves way for win over Mark Morris

Three goals each from Kim Akiona, Joanna Boschee' and Haley Carroll proved enough as Puyallup traveled south to Longview to defeat Mark Morris, 11-3.
A day after Carroll was a one-person wrecking crew to defeat Auburn-Riverside, Puyallup's win over Mark Morris was a more typical Puyallup win as scoring balance was the order of the day. Carroll scored three goals, as did Kim Akiona and Joanna Boschee'. Katie Hayes and Sam Evans added the two other goals to close out the scoring. The game closes out the non-league portion of the Viking schedule. Puyallup finishes the season with four league games, three of those on the road. Against Mark Morris other highlights included Megan Hamilton shutting out the Monarchs in the first and third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Sophomore Alex Clark gave up just one goal in relief, in what was her first action in the cage since last season. Up next for Puyallup is a second game with Auburn-Riverside in less than a week as they travel to the Auburn pool on Wednesday afternoon to take on the Ravens at 4:30 pm.

Vikings roll over Riverside

Haley Carroll's 14-goal performance helped propel Puyallup to a 21-10 victory over a stubborn Auburn-Riverside squad Friday night in Puyallup.
Carroll's scoring outburst was needed as Puyallup played sluggish through most of the first half and even trailed the Ravens, 4-2, midway through the first quarter. Three straight goals by Paige Boyer, Joanna Boschee' and Carroll put the Vikings up for good, but the Riverside kept it close by frustrating Puyallup with its outside shooting game. In the second quarter, Carroll came to life and scored five of Puyallup's six second quarter goals to stake the Vikings to a 12-7 halftime lead. The third quarter was all Carroll as she scored all three of Puyallup's goals. She would go on to add four more in the fourth. Another scoring hightlight belonged to junior Emily Hager, as she drilled a cross cage shot with one second left to play. Of course, it took more than scoring to put away the Ravens. Lock down defense was turned in by Katie Kindle, Katie Hayes and Hannah Fralick as they got Riverside's outside shooting game under control. Goalie Megan Hamilton also rose to the occasion in the second half. She gave up five goals in the first quarter alone, but allowed only five more over the last three quarters. Puyallup will turn right around and take on the Ravens again on Wednesday afternoon at 4:30 at the Auburn pool.

Puyallup hangs on against Auburn

On a night when Auburn just wouldn't go away, Puyallup hung on to defeat the Trojans, 18-12, to tighten its grip on first place in the Puget Sound East Division.
With top scorer Haley Carroll stuggling with her shot, the Vikings had to rely on the scoring outbursts of Kim Akiona and Joanna Boschee' to defeat a physical and stubborn Auburn squad Wednesday night. The win moved Puyallup to a perfect 9-0 league slate and 13-0 overall. But this win didn't come easy as Puyallup struggled to find the blue early on, hitting the cross bar several times and coming up empty. Auburn was a more physical team Wednesday and that threw Puyallup off its normal fast break, finesse game. Three Akiona goals and two from Boschee', who turned in her second strong game in a row, kept the Viks in the game, 6-2, after one quarter. Auburn outscored Puyallup 5-4 in the second quarter to pull within 10-7 at the half. Plagued by bad passing and lack of patience most of the night, Puyallup seemed to recover in the third quarter as Carroll got untracked with three scores, with one of those goals somehow weaving its way through three sets of upraised hands for a score, and Akiona scored another coming off a screen by Katie Kindle and receiving a quick pass from Katie Hayes. The seven to one scoring run put Puyallup up comfortably, 17-8. In the fourth quarter though, Auburn turned up the defense and turned fastbreaks into points, outscoring Puyallup, 4-1 in the fourth. But it was too little, too late, and the Vikings swam away with league win number nine and scored their first win over Auburn at home in five years.

Vikings romp in Rogers pool

Puyallup went on a rampage Friday afternoon to defeat Rogers, 17-4, at the Rogers Aquatic Center. The win was the third over the Rams this year, and the Vikings broke out the broom as they completed a sweep of the Rams for the first time in two years. The win improved the Vikings to 12-0 on the year.
Joanna Boschee' and Haley Carroll paced the Vikings in scoring with four goals apiece, but for the second game in a row, Puyallup got off to a slow start. Nearly two minutes ticked off the first quarter before Katie Kindle put the Vikings up 1-0. Kindle added a second goal and Carroll scored her first of four to get Puyallup even with Rogers, 3-3, at the end of one. Boschee' scored three of her goals in the last two minutes of the first half to blow open a close game. Boschee' was on the receiving end of several nice touch passes from Kindle, and her scoring spree propelled Puyallup to a 10-3 lead.In the second half the scoring load took on the usual balance that has been a Puyallup trademark all season long. Carroll picked up two more, Paige Boyer added two and Kim Akiona and Bri Watts added a goal apiece. Akiona played a great game overall as she scored two goals, and stopped several Ram fastbreaks with great defensive swims. Other tough defense was turned in by Hannah Fralick, who was a stopper in the hole, and Boyer pressed the Rams on top into several turnovers. Megan Hamilton shut the Rams out in the second quarter after a rough first frame and Kelsey Hamilton kept the Rams scoreless in the fourth. Puyallup will have their hands full with the city of Auburn this week as they face Auburn on Wednesday and Auburn-Riverside on Friday. Both games are at home at 7:30 pm.

Viks swim past Falcons

Puyallup used its swim speed to defeat the Foss Falcons, 19-6, last night at the Harry P. Hanson pool in Puyallup. In what is becoming a common theme, Haley Carroll and Katie Kindle led the scoring and Hannah Fralick and the Hamilton sisters provided the tough defense.
The Vikings got off to a strong start, sputtered a bit then came together late to put away the Foss Falcons, 19-6, to jump their record to 11-0. In this non-league match up, the Vikings jumped out to a 5-0 lead after one quarter of play. Katie Kindle did the early damage, scoring three goals in the span of about a minute and a half. Megan Hamilton kept Foss out the blue with several key stops and blocks. Following the first quarter burst, Puyallup become unsettled and Foss settled, and the Falcons creeped back into the game, 5-2 midway through the quarter. Puyallup was done in by careless passes to the hole and the resultant turnovers. Two goals by Haley Carroll late in the second stanza gave Puyallup an 8-2 at half. The third quarter was Hannah Fralick time. She played awesome defense on the Falcon's talented sophomore, Erica Park, getting quick fouls which limited Park's opportunities at the two meter. Then, in what probably is the scoring sequence of the season, Fralick scored from out top with 5 seconds left in the quarter. Following a quick Foss score from mid pool with one second left, Fralick countered with her own half pool shot that just barely beat the buzzer and the Foss goalie's outstretched left hand. The fourth quarter was highlighted by a Sam Evans' goal to put Puyallup up comfortably 18-4. Puyallup now will return to league play on Friday as they travel to Rogers to face the rival Rams at 3:30.

Puyallup takes two on Saturday

Puyallup girls water polo completed a grueling week where it played four games in four days by sweeping Rogers and Bonney Lake in Saturday's Foss Tournament. The wins put Puyallup at 10-0 on the season. Originally scheduled to play Mount Tahoma and Mark Morris in the tournament, the Vikings ended up facing Rogers and Bonney Lake instead. In the Rogers game, Puyallup started a little flat and trailed 2-1 midway through the first quarter. The scoring of Katie Kindle (five goals) and Haley Carroll (four goals) righted the Viking ship, and the game was never in doubt after that. Another highlight was Joanna Boschee' earning her first start of the year and responding with two goals of her own. In the afternoon tilt with Bonney Lake, Puyallup again was sluggish at the start and had just a five goal lead at half against the upstart Panthers. The second half was a different story as the Viking defense didn't allow another goal and the offense ran off 17 unanswered points. Kindle got the offense barrage going with four of her team-high six goals in the third quarter. Carroll added five more and Katie Hayes knocked down two. Alex Clark found the net for three goals-- all in the fourth quarter. Bianca Jimenez scored her first varsity goal late in the fourth to close out the scoring.

Puyallup shuts out Lincoln Abes, 29-0

Puyallup shut out the Lincoln Abes, 29-0, Friday night to record its first shut out in two years. It was also another night of balanced scoring as nine Vikings scored two or more goals. 11 Vikings total scored as Puyallup improved to 8-0 on the year. Haley Carroll led the scoring barrage with five goals. Bri Watts added four more and Katie Kindle, Joanna Boschee', Alex Clark and freshman, Lauren Griffin all scored three goals. Hannah Fralick and Paige Boyer added two more and Hope Mahnken closed out the scoring with a goal. The real work of the night was put in on the defensive side as Puyallup recorded a shut out victory for the first time since 2004 when it defeated Lakes, 21-0. The Hamilton sisters, Megan and Kelsey teamed up on the shut out as they alternated quarters in the cage. Kelsey probably had the play of the night as she snatched a sure goal from the upper right corner of the goal just as the ball was crossing the face of the goal. Puyallup will look to continue its winning ways tomorrow as they take on Mt. Tahoma and Mark Morris in the Foss Tournament.

New PHS Athletic Website

Puyallup High School has a brand new athletic website where you can get scores, schedules and updates on Puyallup High School Girls Water Polo.

Vikings off to 6-0 Start

The Puyallup Vikings are rolling in girls water polo, having cruised through the first third of the season with a perfect 6-0 record. Solid play has been turned in all year from Haley Carroll, Katie Kindle, Paige Boyer, Kim Akiona and Hannah Fralick. Carroll, Kindle, Boyer and Akiona are providing the offensive firepower and Fralick simply plays clamp down defense at the two meter spot. A big surprise has been the play of the Viking goalie committee composed of the Hamilton sisters, Megan and Kelsey, and Darci Zeiger. These three are allowing on average just over 5 goals a game. This super start earned the girls some good pub in the Pierce County Herald over Spring Break. Check out the Thursday, April 6 edition. Great pix of Haley working hard against the Rogers Rams.