The girls water polo team overpowered the Carlmont Scots 12-2 in their match on Tuesday evening.
The Bears began strong, winning the initial sprint. Two minutes in, senior Gabby Rothstein rocketed the ball into Carlmont’s cage. The Bears’ defense was on point, repeatedly forcing turnovers and regaining possession. Junior Harper Williams scored another goal to further grow M-A’s lead to 2-0.
Throughout the quarter, the Bears’ defense remained impenetrable, with sophomore goalkeeper Fiona McGaraghan blocking multiple Carlmont shot attempts.
Set up by great passes, the Bears had a strong offensive run at the end of the quarter, quickly putting up two more goals. Rothstein topped things off by ending the quarter with a last-minute shot, extending M-A’s lead to 5-0.
The Bears won the sprint again to start the second quarter, further building on their previous momentum. M-A continued their defensive dominance with a multitude of stops and blocks.
Senior Caroline Connaghan brought the score to 6-0 with four minutes to go, launching a hard shot directly into the goal. After regaining possession, the Bears scored twice more, with sophomore Grace Lobdell bringing the ball up and sinking it into the cage.
Behind 8-0, the Scots were becoming disheartened. M-A refused to make mistakes on defense and continued to dominate on offense. The Bears scored another last-second goal, concluding the half 9-0.
Kicking off the second half, the Scots finally managed to penetrate the Bears’ defense, scoring their first goal of the game. M-A bounced back quickly, halting Carlmont’s initiative with senior captain Sabine Polly sending the ball into the cage to increase M-A’s lead to 10-1.
M-A’s defense remained rock solid, covering every Carlmont player and getting multiple steals. Senior goalkeeper Brealyn Trujillo was commanding in the goal with many blocks, shutting down all hope of another Carlmont push.
With three minutes left in the third quarter, the Bears worked their way up the pool and Polly racked up another point with just seconds to spare. M-A concluded the quarter leading 11-1.
Carlmont came into the last leg of the game determined, but the Bears met them head-on. The Scots finally broke through M-A’s resistance, sending a shot into the cage to bring the total to 12-2.
The Bears’ defense tirelessly repelled every Carlmont attack, finishing strong. Junior Mica Podoly shot around Carlmont’s goalkeeper to end the match with a 12-2 win.
“Sometimes we have good games and bad games, and I think the main difference is when we fully work as a team and we communicate,” Podoly said.
“I’m excited for CCS, because last year we made it to the second round semifinals. It was really exciting and I hope we can do that again and maybe even get to the finals,” junior Lucy Gostyla said.
The Bears will battle the Los Gatos Wildcats at home on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
