Girls Varsity Water Polo vs Santa Ynez

February 17, 2017

Cate’s girls varsity water polo team ended its season in the second round of the CIF-SS playoffs on Thursday, February 16. Cate fell to the top-seeded Santa Ynez Pirates, losing by a score of 12-9. Cate came out with great intensity, swimming hard in transition and playing heads up defense as it forced a turnover on the second possession of the game. Cate worked the ball down line to Celia Foster ’19 who scored the first goal of the game. Center defender Halie Straathof ’17 scored next for the Rams, as she faked down the goalie and buried the ball, creating an early deficit against the Pirates. Throughout the next 2:30, both teams would thwart consecutive extra-man opportunities until Santa Ynez got on the board off a well placed shot with 3:50 to play. Just over a minute later, Santa Ynez began to find a rhythm, earning three straight goals in the final minutes of the first quarter to gain a 3-2 lead over the host Rams.

Second quarter action began with a goal off the sprint, as Straathof took advantage of an open lane and finished the ball in the upper corner to bring the score even at 3-3. The Rams defense remained steadfast for the next 4:10, stopping two extra man opportunities until the Pirates found the net to break the stalemate with 2:35 left in the half. Santa Ynez scored twice more before the end of the half, bringing the score to 7-4 heading into the third quarter of play.

The third quarter saw Santa Ynez make an early run, scoring another three straight until Cate’s Ella Hendriks ’19 answered back with a shot off the foul from eight meters out. Liana Schmidt ’17 and Aparna Iyer ’17 were active on defense and did well to communicate with their teammates to make several defensive Santa Ynez scored a goal late in the shot clock to increase the lead to 11-5 with :05 seconds to play. With :01 second remaining, Hendriks heaved a half court shot at the buzzer, catching the goalie by surprise and scoring to bring the score to 11-6 with only the final period to play.

Fourth quarter play began with Cate winning the sprint, driving hard and earning a five-meter penalty which nearly missed. Cate would battle back and capitalize on a power play opportunity as Staathof faked cross-cage and buried the ball in the lower corner. The goal sparked a three-point run over the next 3:06, as Hendriks followed up with consecutive goals off great execution in transition by the Rams. Cate would fight hard to try and close the gap, but several near misses and late game defense by the Pirates saw the game end with a 12-9 loss for the Rams.

“The girls played a four-quarter game and they finished the season playing their best water polo of the season. They came out against the top seed and gained an early lead against a team they trailed against the entire game earlier in the season. I couldn’t be more proud of the seniors and the way they reacted to adverse situations throughout the game. They remained positive and displayed poise under pressure, bringing their season to a close playing as a team opposed to a group of individuals,” said Cate Head Coach Max Bergeson.