The girls water polo team saw their season come to an end after a devastating 8-3 defeat to the Los Altos Eagles in the first round of CCS playoffs on Saturday morning.
As the starting whistle echoed, senior Harper Williams took immediate offensive control by winning the sprint. Senior Mica Podoly quickly attempted a shot but was met by a forceful block from Los Altos.
The Eagles, eager to get on the board first, buried a shot to raise the score to 1-0. Despite multiple steals from M-A, Los Altos took advantage of a power play following a penalty on the Bears to extend their lead to 2-0 with 3:30 remaining.
M-A’s solid defense and continuous stops by junior goalkeeper Olivia Rodgers kept the game within reach, but the quarter ended with the Bears trailing 2-0.
The Bears stayed motivated, opening the second quarter with Williams winning the sprint once again. Los Altos snagged the ball from M-A and attempted to score. However, this was halted by the unyielding force of Rodgers, who blocked the shot.
Williams soon earned a five-meter penalty shot off a foul, but her attempt ricocheted off the crossbar. The Eagles then took possession and snuck a goal in off a set play, sending the Bears into halftime down 3-0.
The third quarter erupted into a tense, fast-paced battle with several turnovers. After a driving attempt by Podoly, Los Altos took control right in front of M-A’s net and extended their lead to 4-0.
Despite the setback, the Bears stayed focused and broke through Los Altos’ defense with a clean shot buried in the back of the net by Williams. This put M-A on the board, 4-1, with 3:42 left.
“We had a lot of injuries, and we lost all of our best seniors,” senior Sarah Coolican said. “Throughout all of that, we were able to still win league, make it to CCS, and have an amazing, fun team.”
Immediately after, Podoly fired a shot past the goalkeeper to make the score 4-2.
Rodgers stepped up with crucial stops to stall the Eagles’ attacks, but Los Altos answered with a quick goal to bring the score to 5-2, closing out the third quarter.
M-A entered the fourth quarter aggressively, with Williams securing her third sprint of the game. The Bears applied pressure through fast drives by junior Sila Curic, but the Eagles still managed two consecutive goals, setting the score at 7-2 with 5:41 on the clock.
M-A refused to back down, and following a foul on Los Altos, Coolican slipped a clean shot past the Eagles’ goalkeeper to bring the total to 8-3 with two minutes remaining.
The Bears locked down defensively for the remaining minutes. The clock ran out, halting M-A’s efforts and ending the game 8-3, a loss for the Bears.
Even so, deafening cheers from both the Bears and their fans drowned out the opposing team entirely.
“I’ve learned the importance of being positive. The other team was miserable on the bench, and we were just dancing and cheering,” junior Eden Sturt said.
“I literally found all of my best friends through the sport,” Podoly said. “If I had not played water polo, I would not have the lifetime friendships that I do now, and for that I’ll just be incredibly grateful, and I will keep coming back and supporting this team because it just means the whole world.”
This concludes the season for the Bears.
Grace Lobdell is a journalist for the M-A Chronicle.
