Playing stifling defense and scoring at will, the Palo Alto girls’ water polo team (9-6, 5-2 league) rolled over visiting Saratoga High School, 11-4 on Wednesday night, Oct. 7.
The Vikings’ strong press defense caused numerous Saratoga turnovers and breakaway opportunities that led to a 4-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Forcing Saratoga players far outside the 5-meter mark, the Vikings often stole the ball to spark a quick counter attack and goal. Head coach Cory Olcott was pleased with the team’s performance.
“They executed well on the defensive schemes we have been practicing,” Olcott said. “We ran four different defenses and they were effective in controlling Saratoga.”
Olcott also credited the success of the press defense to the overall team effort.
“From watching earlier games, we saw that referees were not calling the quick foul,” Olcott said. “We were able to press hard on the outside. Of course that only works well if the two-meter defender is fronting effectively, which we were able to maintain. We are able to run various defenses because we know our goalies will make the saves, and both June [Afshar] and Sam [Banks] did a great job.”
Senior captain and goalie Afshar blocked a 5-meter penalty and several other Saratoga shots in the first half before junior Sam Banks took over for the rest of the game.
“Everyone played really well this game,” Afshar said.
Seven Paly players scored in the game, with senior captain Malaika Drebin and junior Rachel Harrus pacing the Vikings with three goals apiece. Sophomore Skylar Dorosin chipped in two goals while juniors Haley Conner and Katie Maser, along with freshman Martine LeClerc, tallied one.
Despite the team’s strong offensive showing, Olcott still sees room for improvement.
“We have talked for weeks about shooting low,” Olcott said. “We also are working on cutting down the number of ejections called on us by running zone defenses. Another thing we will try to improve is our transition into six-on-five [power play] offense and defense as we are sometimes a little disorganized. Overall, I was quite pleased with our performance. The girls ran exactly what we have been working on. As a coach, I can’t ask for much more.”
The Vikings look to continue their three-game winning streak at 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 14 at Homestead High School.