WATER POLO: Rally falls short against Willow Glen

Despite falling to 2-7 on the year, the Live Oak boys water polo team was happy with its play Wednesday in a 10-7 loss to Willow Glen.  
The Acorns offense struggled for most of the game, but their defense played well, thanks to the sturdy play of goaltender Nick Noffman, who turned away 12 Rams shots on the day.
Noffman controlled the front of the cage, as the Rams pounded him with shots. Noffman kept the game within in striking distance as the Acorns tried to find its offense.
Regardless of Noffman’s strong play, Willow Glen raced out to an 8-1 lead early in the second half. Once down by seven goals, the Acorns finally started to find some room on the offensive end, scoring six goals in the game’s final 12 minutes.
“To close like that is great,” Live Oak head coach Dylan Foster said. “Our second-half adjustments were amazing. I thought we got our offense finally going in the second half. I thought if we had a couple more opportunities we would have beaten these guys. It’s heartbreaking, but we will see these guys again. I can’t wait to play them.”
Senior David Molyneux started the second-half run for the Acorns with a little more than five minutes left in the third quarter. Taking a pool-long pass from Noffman, Molyneux beat the Rams goalie with a quick shot.
Molyneux and Noffman connected 20 seconds later with an identical goal to pull the Acorns closer at 8-3.
“We did our usual thing,” Molyneux said. “We started slow and we picked it up in the second half. We all started to work better on offense. In the first two periods, we couldn’t get anything started. In the second half, we started to get things going and got some goals.”
Live Oak added another goal a minute later when Morgan Kelly scored on a rebound shot. In the cage, Noffman continued to make big saves, stopping the Rams’ second-half chances.
“He had a really big game for us,” Foster said. “He has done that since he has been a starter on varsity the last two years. That’s the reason why I made him the team captain. In the pool and during practice, he does that.  We  can’t do it without our goalie.”
In the second half, the Acorns continued to put pressure on the Rams cage, controlling possession and scoring opportunities. But Live Oak could only pull as  close as three goals.
The Rams responded to the Acorns’ offensive push in the final quarter, scoring twice to lengthen their lead. The Acorns never gave in, though, scoring its final goal with two minutes left to make the score 10-7. Five Acorns scored goals in the game, including two by Molyneux and Alex Dellamogo.
It may have been a loss for the Acorns, but it was full of positives, Noffman said.
“We always play our heart out,” he said. “They got the lead in the beginning, but I think the offense and defense did really good in the second half. We expect to get better later in the season and keep improving.”
For the Acorns, which are now 1-1 in the BVAL Mount Hamilton Division, improving is the key.
“Moving on, it’s just getting better,” Foster said. “I think we showed some real character battling back. And I can’t wait to see them in the league tournament.”
The Acorns league season continues next week when they play rival Sobrato on the road Wednesday at 4 p.m.