The last time the Live Oak girls varsity water polo team hit the pool, Marissa Sendejas lit up the scoreboard with 13 goals in an Acorns’ 16-15 quadruple overtime loss to Evergreen Valley. The loss ended the team’s season short of the Central Coast Section postseason.
The Acorns endured a tumultuous, trial-by-fire season, finishing 4-15 overall and 0-5 in the ‘A’ league Mount Hamilton Division in the Blossom Valley Athletic League.
That was 2011. This is September 2012, and it’s a whole new ball game for the Acorns.
Down a division, Sendejas, the Acorns leading scorer and two-time all-league recipient, and nine others return to the pool. They and the rest of the Acorns treated themselves to a victorious debut in the BVAL’s Santa Teresa Division on Wednesday, beating Mt. Pleasant with a 14-8 nod over Mt. Pleasant in Morgan Hill.
“Our biggest thing that we struggle with is having fast reaction – fast reaction to getting back on defense and fast reaction to run the offense. And then just spreading out and being aware of one another,” third-year head coach Sara Crusinberry said. “We were just focusing on the fundamentals today.”
There was nothing slow about the Acorns in the pool Wednesday. It was quite the opposite, actually. Goals came in a flurry during the opening seven minutes. And that transition from defense to offense was seamless, as Live Oak repeatedly exchanged Mt. Pleasant turnovers for goals at the other end.
Sendejas, a senior, who picked up where she left off last year, gave the defense fits with seven first-quarter goals, as the Acorns sprinted to an 11-0 lead after one period of play.
“My starters worked pretty well together,” Crusinberry said.
The lefty Sendejas – who when not peppering the opponent’s net is the facilitator and pool general, calling out offensive sets, pointing out when to cut to the cage and creating opportunities for her teammates – tallied a goal 22 seconds into the Acorns’ first possession of the match.
“She’s kind of like our point guard,” Crusinberry said.
After a long outlet pass from Sendejas to junior Jessica Lawrence created a two-on-one opportunity, Lawrence and senior Demi Miller played a little give-and-go for the Acorns second goal. Miller’s shot was initially saved, but Lawrence outswam the Cardinals defender and deposited the rebound.
Lawrence made it 3-0 on the team’s next trip down. Sendejas then rattled off five consecutive goals over the next three minutes to put Live Oak up 8-0. Lawrence’s third, Miller’s first and Sendejas’ seventh and final goal gave the Acorns their 11-0 first period cushion.
The large lead allowed Crusinberry to exhaust her resources, getting all of her players valuable time in the pool.
Morgan Teddleton, Crystal Cardenas and Miller finished out the scoring for the Acorns, who called off the dogs for much of the second half, resorting to a much slower pace and ball-control approach.
Goalie Gena Acevedo, one of 10 seniors on the roster, recorded four saves. Junior Andrea Topete, who has started since her freshman season, looked sharp in the season opener, Crusinberry added.
The Acorns (1-0) have a tournament this weekend before jumping back into STAL play at home Sept. 12 against Silver Creek.
