By Paul Marshall – Special to the Times The Live Oak Girls
Varsity Water Polo Team faced its toughest battle of the TCAL
season this week at Santa Catalina. With both teams undefeated in
regular TCAL league play, it was the game that would establish the
favorite to win the Tri County Athletic League.
By Paul Marshall – Special to the Times
The Live Oak Girls Varsity Water Polo Team faced its toughest battle of the TCAL season this week at Santa Catalina. With both teams undefeated in regular TCAL league play, it was the game that would establish the favorite to win the Tri County Athletic League.
Thursday’s game started quickly with last year’s TCAL MVP Ronni Gautschi scoring first on a quick goal with barely a minute gone in the game. Two minutes later, Santa Catalina’s Devan Kennifer answered with a goal of her own to tie the game at 1. As the quarter wore on with talented offenses battling intense defenders, Live Oak missed several shots, but Santa Catalina shot better, putting in two more goals to make it 3 – 1 by the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter continued the fierce defensive struggle with Ashley Rojas doing a good job defending the Catalina hole set and goalie Chelsea Carrillo stopping most shots that came her way. After a defensive steal, Live Oak went on the counter with a wing-out pass to Laura Shope who launched a long pass to Gautschi streaking down the pool ahead of all defenders. Gautschi pushed it in for an easy goal, and Live Oak trailed by 1.
A little later Santa Catalina launched a counter led by Kennifer driving with an open path to the goal. However, Laura Melroy chased her down, arriving on her shooting arm just as she neared the goal to stop the threat. Live Oak regained possession and passed the ball to Gautschi once again down the pool ahead of the other team for an easy goal and a tie at 3 all. On the Acorns’ next possession, a missed shot bounced off the cage. The goalie initially gathered the ball, but Gautschi stole it back, and pushed it through for a goal, bringing the Acorns up 4 – 3. Stung, Santa Catalina needed just 16 seconds to tie the score again at 4. With two minutes to play in the half, Melroy dropped a pass into Breanna Sennert at the hole, who pushed a shot-put style throw under a defender and past the goalie for a 5 – 4 lead. Santa Catalina answered that with Kaitlin Boensel tossing one in from 6 meters away under light coverage for a score of 5 all. With time winding down in the half, a Santa Catalina player on the counter got ahead of everyone and was streaking with the ball towards the goal, but Melroy and Amy Marshall chased her down and stole the ball to end the half.
The torrid action continued in the second half. First, Rojas heaved a long distance shot which hit the cage and ricocheted straight down onto the goal line but not into the goal. Sennert and the goalie charged, arrived together and struggled for control. Marshall streamed in to help, and in the melee Sennert finally controlled the ball and punched it into the goal. Live Oak then scored again to move ahead 7 – 5 when Gautschi stole the ball and delivered a nice pass to Marshall who drove the ball toward the goal and then found Shope alone on the other side of the goalie for a sure shot. Santa Catalina came back 7 – 6 on a penalty shot by Devan Kennifer and then scored again to end the third quarter at 7 all.
Sennert opened the fourth quarter scoring to put Live Oak ahead 8 – 7. Next, Alyssa Hendrick let loose a rocketing shot from the far left. The shot rebounded off the top cross bar to the right side of the cage where Amy Marshall got there first and quickly tossed it in for a 9 – 7 Live Oak lead.
Not finished yet, Santa Catalina battled back for another score to bring it to 9 – 8 with time running down in the game. On the next possession Marshall passed to Shope, who dropped it into Gautschi, who fought off the tough defense of Boensel for the game’s final goal putting the game out of reach at 10 – 8.
Coach Sharon Hyrne said the team showed a lot of unity during the challenging match.
“Our girls played together really well as a team today… We had a lot of people shooting and played tight defense,” she said.
As long as the Acorns keep playing with heart, hustle, teamwork, talent, and skill, they are the favorite to win TCAL. With a 6 – 0 league record they are already half the way there.
Remaining highlights of the season include games against Hollister, Sobrato, Notre Dame, as well as the Sacred Heart tournament, the Independence tournament, the TCAL championship tournament, and hopefully the CCS championship tournament.
