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Sports

Sharks Attack Oxnard Water Polo Tournament

Malibu High takes third place with three wins.

The Oxnard Water Polo Tournament was going to be a real test for boys varsity team. The Sharks had played two games over the previous two days, including , and they were bound to face tough teams at the Rio Mesa High School pool. But the Sharks dug deep and developed some character with three wins and a third place finish.

The first game on Friday was against an over-matched Camarillo team, and the Sharks won handily, 16-2. The Malibu scoring leaders, with three goals apiece, were Shaan McPartlin, Jordan Clarke and Michael Mitze. Goalie Dane Sartorius was never seriously tested and all the players got plenty of playing time.

The second game on Friday turned out to be very exciting, with the Sharks pulling out a come-from-behind 6-5 victory over the Crescenta Valley Falcons, last season's top-ranked Division 5 team. It was a hard-fought game that had the Falcons leading 4-2 at halftime.

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Malibu sophomore Henry Buckley scored the only goal of the third quarter on a breakaway, setting up an exciting finish. In the fourth quarter, Theo Guillemot scored his second goal to tie the game. Then, with 1:30 remaining in the game, Emmet Pierson passed to Jens Cole, who fired into the high corner of the net for what proved to be the winning goal.

The Sharks headed back to Rio Mesa High on Saturday morning with a chance for payback on the host Spartans, . The game lived up to the hype and was a physical battle from start to finish.

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Malibu got on the board first, and the score was tied 2-2 after the first quarter, which included six blocks by goalie Sartorius and three steals by Guillemot. He then scored two goals in a row, including a penalty shot, before the Spartans scored five straight goals that had the fans and coaches complaining bitterly about some of the referees' calls. 

After halftime, which featured the referees arguing with each other about some of their calls, the Sharks and Spartans traded goals and Rio Mesa won the game, 13-9. Rio Mesa is a quality team that is well-coached and plays great water polo. It is a squad the Sharks will have to figure out how to beat come playoff time if they are to win the Division 6 championship.

The final game for the Sharks was against the Division 5 Temple City Rams. It was a game dominated by the Sharks, but ended in a sudden-death overtime goal. The Sharks led 3-2 after the first quarter and 5-4 at halftime, before pulling out to a 7-4 lead after three quarters. Then, with less than two minutes remaining in the game, the Rams came charging back to tie the game and send it into overtime.

Luckily. it was senior center Mitze to the rescue with a goal from the set position, and the Sharks had redeemed themselves. Mitze led the team with four goals in the game, while Guillemot has three goals and Pierson had three steals and a goal.

The Sharks have a record of 13-6-1 and are tied for the Tri-Valley League lead with Oaks Christian. They play again at Cate on Wednesday. The next home game is Oct. 26 at 3:15 p.m. against Villanova.

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