The girls water polo team suffered a 9-7 defeat to the Leigh Longhorns in the CCS semi-finals on Tuesday night.
“We went in knowing that we had to give it our all and play with everything we got. We didn’t underestimate them from the start, and that gave us the motivation to fight,” senior Emily Freitas said.
The Longhorns started with the ball after winning the sprint, allowing the Bears to show off their vigorous defense. Right out of the gate, senior goalkeeper Lexi Nelson made an impressive block off the Longhorns’ first goal attempt.
Less than a minute in, junior Scarlett Shenk scored the first goal of the night off of a skip shot landing in the lower right corner of the cage. Retaliating to Shenk’s goal, the Longhorns scored with 5:38 left in the first quarter.
The score remained even as the Longhorns blocked a goal attempt from junior Sabine Polly, and Leigh’s offense shot a goal attempt just above the cage.
Sophomore Sarah Coolican reclaimed the Bears’ lead, scoring an outside goal with 2:55 left. Nelson remained a force in the cage, blocking a powerful backhand shot from the Longhorns.
The Bears continued to display aggressive defense for the rest of the quarter. But as Nelson attempted to steal the ball from an incomplete pass, the cage was left defenseless, and the Longhorns planted a goal.
Nelson blocked another backhand shot with nine seconds on the clock, finishing the first quarter tied 2-2.
Tension was high as the Bears entered the second quarter. M-A started on defense, fiercely fighting for the ball and restricting Leigh’s goal attempts.
Counting her second goal, Shenk planted a powerful shot into the upper corner of the cage. Remaining consistent with retaliations against M-A, the Longhorns evened the score just 25 seconds later.
Leigh took the lead after a successful penalty shot, putting them up 4-3. The Longhorns added to their lead after making a shot off of multiple sneaky drives and aggressive offense.
Nelson scored an incredible goal from just past the half-court line, and the ball ricocheted off of the crossbar into the cage with one second left in the first half, ending with a score of 5-4. The crowd was tremendously vocal in their support for the Bears, heightening the lively energy from the M-A bench.
Leigh continued their lead into the second half by scoring consecutive goals in the first two minutes, giving them a three-point lead.
Shenk made multiple goal attempts throughout the quarter, with some landing just outside the cage and others blocked by the Longhorns’ intensified defense in the second half. Sophomore Harper Williams secured the Bears’ fifth goal of the night with 1:57 left in the third quarter, setting the score to 7-5 and relighting the energy in the stands.
Leigh’s offense fought hard to get their three-point lead back, scoring again just 17 seconds after Williams. The Longhorns held off the Bear’s offense for the rest of the quarter, blocking goal attempts by Polly and junior Molly Gray.
Starting the final quarter with Leigh leading 8-5, Gray narrowed the gap, scoring for the Bears within the first minute. The crowd remained hopeful, showering the Bears with encouragement and support.
Shenk drew a five-meter penalty shot, and the deck held its breath at the opportunity to close in on Leigh’s lead. Shenk drove the ball past the goalkeeper, and the deck erupted in cheers as the score rose to 8-7.
The Bears’ vibrant energy carried them through the game’s final minutes. Following a timeout, Nelson made another passionate block with four minutes left.
M-A’s defense was powerful all game long, but it ultimately could not prevent the Longhorn’s final goal with 3:03 left, making the score 9-7.
M-A called another timeout with 2:11 left, offering the players a break. Nelson attempted a second goal, but the ball shot high and reflected off the crossbar. Polly successfully stole the ball from the Longhorns, but could not complete the goal.
The Bears called another timeout with 0:53 left, while Leigh was still leading 9-7. Back on defense, Nelson secured the game’s final action, blocking the Longhorns from increasing their lead.
As the clock counted the final seconds, the Bears were unable to score but ended their fight with the identical resilience that they started with. Even though the Longhorns won 9- 7, the Bears put up an incredible battle.
“It was a tough game. We fought really hard. We knew we had a lot on the line with this game and that really motivated us even more. We tried our hardest, and I’m really proud to call this my team,” junior Brealyn Trujillo said.
“This season has not just been proving that M-A is a force to be reckoned with, but also shows just how much of a team and community we are. I personally could not ask for a better group of girls,” sophomore Mica Podoly said. “The team didn’t quit fighting until the last buzzer went off. We all walked out of that pool with our heads held high.”
This game concluded the Bears’ season. They finished 13th in CCS with an impressive record of 19-6.
