Sonora’s Van Noord is the All-District Girls Water Polo Player of the Year

Sonora sophomore Emily Van Noord is the All-District Girls Water Polo Player of the Year.

Van Noord guided the Wildcats to Valley Oak League and Sac-Joaquin Section Division III titles, and a berth in the inaugural CIF Northern California regional tournament.

“It was pretty epic,” Van Noord said. “A lot of people thought this was going to be a (down) year. We had so many new players. We were so young; most of us where sophomores. As the season progressed, we were able to see our strengths and weaknesses and we were able to build off of that.”

Van Noord came up clutch in the section finals, scoring three goals in the second half as the Wildcats edged Kimball, 6-5.

“That was huge for us,” Sonora coach Matt Personius said. “There’s more where that comes from, too.”

Sonora was eliminated in the first round by eventual Division II champion and top seed Saint Francis.

Though she was third on her team in scoring with 53 goals, Van Noord’s overall game was recognized by her peers and opposing coaches. She was named the section’s most valuable player in Division III, as well as the Valley Oak League MVP.

Personius said her defense was the backbone of the team’s success, and her ability to lockdown the opposing team’s best player often led to transition opportunities for freshman Megan Slater, who scored a team-high 101 goals.

“She allows players like Megan to do what they do so well,” Personius said. “Emily plays center defense and she’s guarding the other team’s strongest offensive players. She did a great job of shutting them and creating that transition.”

Van Noord loves the physicality in front of the goal. She’s been kicked, punched and bloodied ... but she’s never backed down from a challenge.

“I find it fun,” she said. “My face has definitely seen a few punches and shots. The physcality makes it more interesting and fun. I’m an aggressive player, so it’s good a matchup because you’re usually going against someone who is also physical and rough – within the legal limits of the game.”

This story was originally published December 23, 2017 at 3:48 PM with the headline "Sonora’s Van Noord is the All-District Girls Water Polo Player of the Year."