VIDEO: Jake Ehrhardt passes to Miles Cole for a USA goal
USA Water Polo claimed a Gold and Silver Medal on Thursday at the 2015 UANA Youth Pan American Championship in Kingston, Jamaica. Multiple players from Santa Barbara played big roles in the effort.
Two players on the girls team, Abbi Hill and Jewel Roemer, play for Santa Barbara 805 Water Polo Club while two members of the boys team, Miles Cole and Jacob Ehrhardt, are connected to Santa Barbara Premier WPC.
The U.S.A. Youth Girls Team defeated Canada 9-7 in the gold-medal match while the boys team was edged by Brazil 11-10.
National Youth Team Members Abbi Hill, Jewel Roemer, Miles Cole and Jake Ehrhardt. (Courtesy Photo)
Miles Cole, a San Marcos High School junior, scored two goals including USA’s only fourth quarter tally tying the teams at 10-10. The Brazilians managed to net the game’s final goal with 1:17 on the clock to earn the victory. Ehrhardt, who plays for Oaks Christian High School, scored one goal in the final. Rafael Rebz of Brazil was top goal scorer and MVP helping Brazil win their third consecutive Youth Pan American Gold Medal.
The U.S. youth girls team dominated Brazil 21-6 in the semi-final match. Santa Barbara’s Jewel Roemer led all scorers with six goals and Hill had three.
The championship saw the Americans jump out to a 7-1 lead at half. The US withstood a 0-4 Canadian comeback in the third quarter and iced the game with two Roemer goals in the fourth winning 9-7. Roemer led all scorers with three goals and Hill had one. Hill was fourth on the team with fifteen goals overall while Roemer was second with 21. Team USA’s Heidi Ritner was named top goalkeeper and tournament MVP.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Jake Ehrhardt was incorrectly identified as playing for Rio Mesa High School in the first version of this story.
