Santa Barbara High’s girls water polo team put the pedal to the metal before letting up on Wednesday, allowing visiting Huntington Beach to close the gap a bit before closing out a 9-6 victory in the first round of CIF.
“You know, it’s CIF playoffs. The intensity raises,” said Dons head coach Mark Walsh, no stranger to the postseason himself as longtime coach of both the boys and girls water polo programs at SBHS.
The Dons raced out to a 7-2 lead by the start of the fourth quarter behind a strong defensive effort that conceded only four shots to the Oilers in the first half. Huntington didn’t get its first shot on goal until Eri Oyama’s rocket reached the back of the cage with 27 seconds left in the first quarter.
By that time, Santa Barbara already held a 3-0 lead and had hit the goal post or crossbar three times.
Makenzy Fowler fires off a shot during Wednesday’s first-round CIF victory over Huntington Beach.
Dons leading-scorer Kelsey O’Brien
“I thought we played really good defense. I think we allowed them only four shots in the first half which is tremendous,” said Dons head coach Mark Walsh, adding that his team “just went through the motions” in the fourth quarter and gave up four goals in the process.
“All in all, I thought it was a good first game and we’re just pleased to go the second round.”
Kelsey O’Brien was the first Don to score and led the team with four goals. Makenzy Fowler recorded two strikes while Charlotte Hendrix, Olivia Cusimano and Sophie Trabucco all found the scoring column with a single score each.
“We just worked together really well. Talking with each other, getting other people open,” said O’Brien concerning her team’s offense.
Several Santa Barbara regulars were making their postseason debuts, including O’Brien, keeper Maddie Trabucco and Sophie Trabucco.
“I was nervous at first but everything we do is as a team and it made me feel better when everyone was behind me and supporting me,” O’Brien said after the game.
Huntington Beach’s Samantha Preston and Ellen Hayami scored the first two goals of the fourth period to bring the Oilers to with three goals only to have Fowler score her second of the game from 2-meters off a pass from Sophie Trabucco. O’Brien scored from the outside less than a minute later to push Santa Barbara’s lead back up to 9-4 with 2:56 remaining.
Preston and Hayami each scored again to complete the scoring. The Oilers, who finished second in the Sea View League to Foothill, wrap up one of the most successful seasons in school history, according to head coach Brian Anderson.
VIEW DIVISION I PLAYOFF BRACKET
Santa Barbara moves on to most-likely play No. 2-seed Newport Harbor, which faced Mater Dei in its first round match.
“We’re excited, we don’t have anything to lose so we’re just going to come out and go hard,” O’Brien said.
SANTA BARBARA 9, HUNTINGTON BEACH 6
Huntington Beach 1 1 0 4 – 6
Santa Barbara 3 2 2 2 – 9
HB Goals – Preston 2, Hayami 2, Oyama, Towers.
SB Goals – O’Brien 4, Fowler 2, S. Trabucco, Hendrix, Cusimano.
