In a likely BVAL title match preview, Leland nips Lady Acorns,
12-9
MORGAN HILL — The season-long goal was to beat Leland. It didn’t matter when or where.
Beat Leland, finally, beat Leland.
The rest would fall into place, be it a Mount Hamilton Division title or the Blossom Valley Athletic League tournament crown.
Just beat Leland.
That is always the goal for Live Oak water polo this time of year, when the temperature slides into the low 60s and the leaves beget the perfect backdrop for LOHS athletics.
The Chargers spoiled it again Wednesday, doing what they do best at Live Oak’s home pool. Leland edged the Lady Acorns 12-9, then handily beat Live Oak’s boys team 13-6 to put the finishing touches on two perfect — 5-0 — league seasons.
“It’s always hard losing to them,” said junior Rachel Cretcher, who had an assists to go with her team-high six goals. “We’re still pretty happy with how we played.”
The Lady Acorns (4-1 league) gave the No. 3-ranked team in the Central Coast Section all it could handle. Led by their workhorse, Kelsey Nolan, the Chargers built a big lead early and quieted Live Oak’s rally hopes with a back-alley-mugging style of defense.
The Acorns struggled to create scoring opportunities inside of five meters. Leland’s defenders crashed each pass down low to Cretcher or Sarah Sendejas, pushing the ball back outside. Chargers goalkeeper Ashley Arras collected six saves.
“They’re a tough, physical team,” Live Oak boys coach Mack Haines said. “I’m satisfied with how the girls played. They showed a lot of determination.”
Using their typical defensive scheme, the Lady Acorns forced tough shots for Nolan but the reigning league MVP improvised. Working against Sarah D’Angelo for most of the game, Nolan netted three of her game-high eight goals on backhanded, no-look shots.
“Kelsey is crazy,” Cretcher said. “I think Sarah did a great job defending her. There’s only so much you can do.”
Cretcher’s first goal cut the Charger’s lead to 2-1 going into the second quarter. Nolan struck twice off passes from Stacey Koolpe and Brianna Sherrin as Leland’s lead ballooned to 5-1.
Live Oak’s Katie Rick scored her first of two goals on a lob shot, and Cretcher launched in a turn-around try to make it 5-3 with 2:36 left in the half. But Nolan struck again on a toss from beyond half court as time expired.
“She’s a Division I prospect for a reason,” Haines said.
The Acorns outscored Leland 3-2 in the third quarter, getting three goals from Cretcher. The Chargers pushed ahead 9-6 less than a minute into the final period — only to watch Live Oak pull within one. Rick, a senior, drew twine, and Cretcher scored off a feed from Sendejas with 3:16 remaining.
Leland’s defense tightened up the rest away, and the Chargers bolstered their lead with Nolan’s final goal and two by Samantha Murphy.
Cretcher set up a score by D’Angelo with eight seconds left.
“It took a lot of will to make that rally happen,” Acorns sophomore Kelsey White said. “We kept our heads up.”
Live Oak showed that same resiliency in last weekend’s Monta Vista Tournament, when Rick fed D’Angelo for a game-tying goal in the final seconds to force an extra period against Los Gatos. The Acorns lost in double overtime.
“They’ve played with a lot of heart this year,” Live Oak girls coach Lynn Gautschi said. “They’re a very determined group. That’s helped them win a lot of games.”
Having all but clinched a spot in the Division II section playoffs, which begin Nov. 10, Live Oak will likely play as the No. 2 seed when it hosts next weekend’s eight-team league tournament. The Acorns need two wins to reach the Nov. 7 BVAL championship game.
Where they can try, once again, to beat Leland.
Normally a showdown for the Mount Hamilton boys crown, Leland and Live Oak’s game was a mere formality.
The Chargers, who had already clinched first place in the division, were out to avoid any letdown against their league rivals, while the Acorns (2-2 in league at the time) were trying to make headway for November.
It will take a lot for them to meet again this fall.
Behind three goals from Kyle Meggs, Jonathon Lie and Daniel Burriss, plus seven saves by Josh Nunes, Leland stayed on course, grabbing the top seed for BVALs and staking the Acorns with a tough three-game road back to the title match. Live Oak is still probably heading to CCS.
The Chargers led 6-1 at halftime and rested most of their starters for the fourth quarter, when Live Oak poured in four goals.
Danny Robinson had a hat trick and an assist to lead the Acorns, and Cody Coleman, Alec Mainland and Saul Orona added scores.
