In a new duel at their door this Saturday night, the young water polo players from Stade de Reims Natation secured their 5th victory of the season in their pool at UCPA Sport Station. Amid a match where mistakes were plentiful, Reims thought they had done the hardest part by quickly distancing Dole, their evening visitor. However, there were a few scares towards the end of the match, but they did not have any consequences. Next match in a week.
LA FEUILLE DE MATCH
REIMS 8-6 DOLE (1-1, 3-1, 2-2, 2-2)
ARBITRES: MM Mourot & Laconnick
REIMS (9 exclusions): Duclos – Buiatti, Thill, De Bie, De Nas de Tourris, Decovemacker, Gacoin, Boschat 2, Ladune 2, Bride, Briat, Henin 4, Pietrzak, Zrizer. Entr.: Leonor Devonish
DOLE (13 exclusions): Vaillant – Demizieux, Delamarre 1, Tardivat 2, M. Mirat, Boncea, Paillot, Saugrin 1, Morat 2, Chollat Namy, Monnet, Ph. Mirat. Entr.: Philippe Morat
LE MATCH
Undoubtedly the feature of the day. Experience does not always have the last word against the enthusiasm of youth. Faced with older players from Dole, the young Reims players experienced a range of emotions on Saturday evening, further confirming their learning process in a division they continue to explore. Eager to make their mark on the match quickly, the locals were the first to take action. However, they lacked power to trouble the Dole goalkeeper. It took only 40 seconds to witness Paul Ladune opening the score, alone to adjust the visiting goalkeeper. And with goalkeeper Nathan Duclos repelling Dole’s attempts when they didn’t hit the post, SDRN had several chances to secure a lead.
However, they remained too soft against a decisive goalkeeper. The following play lacked pace and precision. So much so that Dole, with a numerical superiority, managed to equalize before the end of the first quarter (1-1). The second quarter resembled the first, with inaccuracies and a lack of aggressiveness. But after several chances, Raphaël Hénin pushed the ball into the empty goal to regain the advantage. The gap could have been wider if Paul Ladune had not hit the post twice from penalties. Fortunately, Dole was not more accurate offensively against attentive Reims players. A good shot from Louis Boschat was needed to finally break before the break (3-1). Through perseverance, Leonor Devonish’s protégés detached themselves, notably thanks to Raphaël Hénin’s counterattack alone to convert a beautiful additional defense. At halftime, Stade de Reims Natation was logically ahead (4-2).
A victory and a scare
If Philippe Morat and his experience brought his team closer quickly after the break, Raphaël Hénin, well-found in a quick transition, responded quickly (5-3). From that point on, the Reims players found more spaces. And although they were still clumsy, they held onto the lead without trembling (6-4) despite several shots hitting the posts. The final quarter offered more challenges. Faced with numerous offensive failures, frustration naturally arose. This led to two Reims players being excluded. With a lack of rotation, the Reims players struggled in the final moments. Lucas Delamarre took advantage of Nathan Duclos’ misfortune to reduce the score (7-6) and introduced a suspense that should not have existed. Regardless, a final goal from Louis Boschat showed that Reims players had sturdy nerves. Stade de Reims Natation secured three additional points in a N3 league that the youngsters are still discovering.
RESULTATS & CLASSEMENT
- Molsheim 42pts
- Grand Nancy 33pts
- Strasbourg 30pts
- Colmar 21pts
- Mulhouse 18pts
- Reims 15pts
- Longwy 9pts
- Dole 6pts
- Thionville 3pts
PROCHAIN MATCH
🏆 Mulhouse
🗓 N3 (19th matchday)
📅 Saturday, April 4, 2026
🕖 7:00 PM
📍 UCPA Sport Station
