Sacred Heart, Castilleja end Acorns’ seasons
ATHERTON — It wasn’t the end-of-season result they were hoping for, but the Live Oak water polo players were complacent Saturday after their 14-10 loss in the Central Coast Section quarterfinals at Sacred Heart Prep.
Castilleja, the No. 2 seed in the Division II tournament, became only the fifth team to beat the Lady Acorns this season.
“It’s a little disappointing. It was still a good season looking at our record,” Live Oak senior Katie Rick said of her team’s 19-5 finish. “You always want to do well your senior year. I’d say we did our best.”
The Acorns’ departing class was part of four teams that reached the CCS quarterfinals.
“We were a really tight group. A lot of us have played together since middle school,” said Sarah Sendejas, who was thankful to have played with her freshman sister, Marissa, this season. “It’s been a fun four years together at Live Oak.”
The No. 7 Lady Acorns entered the Sacred Heart Aquatic Center hoping to become the first Live Oak girls team to reach the Division II semifinals. They were stopped short by the Gators (17-8) and their imposing hole set, Natasha von Kaeppler.
Behind von Kaeppler, who netted a game-high six goals, Castilleja parlayed three second-quarter scores into an insurmountable 7-3 halftime lead. The Gators led 3-2 after the first period.
“She was our biggest obstacle,” Live Oak boys coach Mack Haines said. “We had the game plan to defend her, but, it’s totally different once you start playing against her. All we could do was force her to take tough shots.”
Offensively, Live Oak had to take most of its shots from beyond five meters. Junior Rachel Cretcher led the Acorns with four goals, and Sarah D’Angelo, Rick and Sendejas — all seniors — tallied three, two and one, respectively.
Castilleja extended its lead to 11-6 going into the fourth quarter. Live Oak scored its last three goals in the final three minutes, including two in the final minute on a pair of time-saving plays.
Goalkeeper Priscilla Orona passed to D’Angelo, who then fed Rick for a score with 56 seconds left. Forty ticks later, Sendejas passed from beyond halfcourt to Cretcher, who dialed D’Angelo for the final goal.
“The girls really had a chance today, but they couldn’t make any mistakes,” Live Oak girls coach Lynn Gautschi said. “Castilleja is a good team; a classy program, and they’re well coached.”
The Live Oak boys’ season also ended Saturday with a 13-5 quarterfinal loss to host Sacred Heart.
Seniors Cody Coleman and Alec Mainland scored once as did sophomore Saul Orona. Danny Robinson, a junior, had two tallies to lead the Acorns (13-11), who wrapped up their third straight trip to the quarterfinals.
“We’ve seen these seniors, both the boys and girls, progress the last four years,” Haines said. “They were playing together before high school. They’re a special group.
“We owe a lot of credit to their parents. They’ve been just as big a part of this program.”
