Girls Varsity Water Polo vs Malibu
January 20, 2022
Yesterday, January 18th, our Cate girls water polo team hosted their first league matchup of the season versus Malibu High School. Kicking things off in the first period, we were able to play some solid team defense and come away with multiple steals. Senior captain Alekha Rao did an outstanding job guarding Malibu’s strong whole set and facilitating the offense. We were able to string together multiple scoring opportunities; however, Malibu had a very strong goalkeeper and she came up with numerous clutch saves. After one period, we found ourselves down a few goals, but not out of
the game.
The second period is when things really started to click for our group. We were able to move the ball in to set, where junior Liz Sutter converted a powerful step-out shot. A few of our fastest swimmers, sophomores Myla Van Lynde and Caroline Keohane worked together to score on multiple counter-attack opportunities. We were able to cut into Malibu’s lead and at the half, we trailed by only three goals.
In the third period, we continued to work as a group and opened up scoring chances. Sophomore Claire Clark had a quick drive to the goal where she made a great catch and inside water move, earning our team a penalty shot. Unfortunately, the Malibu goalkeeper was up to the task, coming up big on several plays, slowing down our offensive attack. We were able to finish the game on a positive note as during the final seconds Liz blasted a shot to the low corner during a five-meter penalty. In the end, Malibu walked away with a 14 – 4 victory. Despite the loss, I thought our girls had some great moments both offensively and on the defensive end. We are continuing to improve as a team and have shown a lot of fight in every match we play.
Looking forward, we travel to Ventura College on Thursday, January 20th for a matchup with Foothill Tech High School. This will be our second league game of the season, and I have high hopes for our group in this matchup. The next day, we are traveling again, this time to Nordhoff High School. Be on the lookout for scores as we plan to finish our week strong. Go Rams!