Lady Acorns break away after close first quarter
MORGAN HILL — With goalkeeper Priscilla Orona showing off her softball arm, every outlet pass turned into a breakaway Wednesday for the Live Oak girls water polo team.
And an early scare became just another day at the pool for the Lady Acorns. Orona assisted five goals and blocked six shots on net to help her team put away a resilient Pioneer squad, 12-4, in a Mount Hamilton Division game at Live Oak High.
The 5-foot-3 junior set up two tallies for Katie Rick, who matched teammate Sarah D’Angelo with four goals.
“Priscilla is very important because she’s our goalie and she helps our offense,” Rick said. “She was great today.”
Looking nothing like a first-year cageminder, Orona stopped two shots inside five meters during the first quarter as the Acorns (2-0 league) scrapped to a 1-0 lead. Pioneer, a team comprised of five seniors and eight underclassmen, caught Live Oak off guard early on. The much quicker Acorns were held to four shots in the opening seven minutes, including Rick’s five-meter penalty shot that Emily Mickela saved.
“They came out more aggressive than us in the first half,” Live Oak co-coach Mack Haines said. “We came out flat, we weren’t communicating; we needed to get our heads into it.”
With the Mustangs (0-2) holding a man advantage two minutes into the second period, Orona made a play that swung momentum for good. She stopped a shot by Laura Dunn, then fired across the pool to a wide-open Rick, who bounced the ball into the cage to make it 2-0. Orona fed Sarah Sendejas 30 seconds later for another score with 4:17 left before halftime.
“Our speed helped us,” Acorns co-coach Lynn Gautschi said. “We have very fast swimmers.”
Live Oak’s rhythm returned, and Rachel Cretcher sent in a shot off a feed from D’Angelo. The play began when Orona blocked a shot and threw long to Rick, who kicked the ball outside to D’Angelo. Cretcher snuck away from her defender on the other side of the cage.
“My arm makes a difference because I can put the ball anywhere,” Orona said. “Katie and the other girls are fast. I found them easily today.”
Orona fed seniors Rick, D’Angelo and Sendejas for goals in the third quarter when the Acorns opened up a 10-2 lead. D’Angelo netted three goals during the period.
Sophomore Michelle Berry scored twice for Pioneer. Teammate Kingsley Hill added a goal in the fourth quarter to make it 10-3, but Live Oak answered with a five-meter goal by Cretcher and another tally by D’Angelo.
“Sarah contributed well at both ends today,” Haines said. “She kept the game from getting close. That helped us fine-tune a couple things and work the ball around.”
Mustangs senior Tessa Williams scored the final goal with 14 seconds remaining
BOYS WATER POLO
Pioneer shocks LO
Two games into the league season, Live Oak is suddenly playing catch-up with Leland.
Upstart Pioneer handed the Acorns a 9-6 loss Wednesday at Live Oak High, sending both teams to 1-1 in Mount Hamilton Division play. Cody Coleman, Danny Robinson and Saul Orona scored two goals apiece for the Acorns.
FIELD HOCKEY
SHS makes it a half dozen against Uni
The Lady Bulldogs rolled by University, 6-0, to claim their second straight win in West Valley Division play.
Katie Merten tallied a hat trick plus one, and Andrea Salem and Andrea Lora added goals for Sobrato, which pulled even in league at 2-2.
LO slips this week
Previously unbeaten in Santa Teresa Division contests, Live Oak fell to 3-2-1 this week.
The Acorns fell 3-0 at Monta Vista Christian on Wednesday a day after dropping a 2-1 decision at home to Leigh.
GIRLS GOLF
Acorns medal in split decisions
Live Oak’s Kate Lowrey shot a 45 Monday as medalist in the Acorns’ 204-229 win over Watsonville at CordeValle Golf Club. Teammate Paige Flores earned the same honors Wednesday, albeit in a 202-205 loss to Watsonville.
It marked only the second loss for the Acorns (5-2) in Tri County Athletic League matches.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Bulldogs fall to Westmont
Behind Kayla Unger’s team-high nine kills, Sobrato pushed Westmont to four games only to loss 7-25, 16-25, 28-26, 21-25 Tuesday in a Mount Hamilton Division game at Sobrato High.
The Lady Bulldogs dropped to 2-3 in league.
Leigh rallies past Live Oak in four
Annie Reyes-Ortiz scored a club-best seven kills Tuesday as the Live Oak Acorns suffered their third straight loss in Mount Hamilton play at Leigh High, 25-18, 19-25, 17-25, 16-25.
Both teams moved to 2-3 in the division standings.
