On Monday, January 14, the Islander Girls’ Varsity Water Polo team kicked off their week with a tight game against Cathedral Catholic High School. Coronado took a 2-1 lead in the first quarter (goals scored by seniors Abigail Sylvester and Grace Harbaugh) and a 4-2 lead at the end of the half (goals by Harbaugh and Reese Oliver). Although Cathedral suffered a deficit in the first half of the game, they gained momentum in the second half with four goals in the third quarter, tying the game at 6-6. Senior Ryan Sund and sophomore Brooke Lee scored two goals for the Islanders in the third. This put pressure on both teams as they headed into the fourth quarter. Five minutes into the fourth, Cathedral scored on goalkeeper Michelle Croteau, who had eight blocks so far. Unfortunately, the Islanders were not able to return the goal in the last five minutes and fell 6-7.
The following Wednesday (1/16), Coronado hosted La Jolla High School for a high-scoring game. Both teams struggled offensively in the first quarter, as excellent goal-tending resulted in fewer goals. Goalkeeper Ella Farley had three saves in the first quarter and nine overall. With one goal by Sylvester and two by senior Danni Croteau, the Islanders took a 4-2 lead at the end of the half. In the third quarter, seniors Reese Oliver and Sheila Tomlin scored one goal each, keeping a two-point lead. Tomlin, scoring four more goals in the fourth, helped the Islanders gain a considerable lead, as La Jolla was only able to score two more. The final score read 11-8 for the Islanders.
That weekend, the Islanders competed in the America’s Finest City Tournament at their home pool, the BBMAC. This advantage was distinguished in their first game against Irvine High School. Farley only let one goal attempt go past her, resulting in a 13-1 win for the Islanders. Their top scorer was Oliver with four goals, followed by Sund and Danni Croteau with two goals each. Later on Friday, Coronado played Rosary Academy for another high-scoring game, a victory of 15-11 for the Islanders. Sund and Sylvester led the team in goals with four and three goals, respectively.
On Saturday, they were scheduled to play two matches against Agoura High School and La Jolla High, for the second time that week. Unfortunately, the Islanders lost both games 5-9 and 11-14, respectively. Compiling the results of the entire tournament, Coronado placed sixth among the top schools in California.
The team’s current record is seven wins to twelve losses.
Upcoming Tournament:
Friday, January 25 to Saturday, January 26 – So-Cal Tournament in Irvine, CA
