Sharks Water Polo Falls in Close CIF Championship

A remarkable season for the girls water polo team fell just short of ending in storybook fashion Saturday at the Woollett Jr. Aquatic Center in Irvine, where the Sharks lost 8-7 to Warren High in the CIF Southern Section Division VI title game.

It appeared second-seeded Malibu (23-10) had the momentum when sophomore Alyse Farrar tied the game at 6 near the end of the third quarter. But the the top-seeded Bears (25-7)  showed they too were hungry for the title. Junior Ivana Castro had two goals midway through the fourth quarter, then Warren held off a furious Shark rally to win the championship.

"It was a great game between two equally matched teams," Malibu head coach Tim Segesman said. "This could've gone either way." 

Warren head coach Josie Cordero said, "Malibu gave us a good fight. We didn't execute our game plan, and that really opened the door for them to stick around. All of their goals came on counterattacks because we weren't getting back on defense.”

Malibu senior goalie JoJo White blocked 16 shots to finish the season with a Southern Section-record 413 saves. Her 1,335 career saves are also a Southern Section record.

"She was our backbone this year and she really wanted to win," Segesman said. "She did everything she could ... you couldn't ask for more."

It was a tight battle throughout the game. Malibu was ahead 2-0 at the end of the first quarter, and the score was tied at 4 goals apiece at halftime.

The Bears knocked in two consecutive goals in the third quarter before senior Shark Sophie Galate had her fourth score of the game to cut the deficit in half. Malibu's Farrar then slipped behind three Bear defenders, gathered in a pinpoint outlet pass from White, and skipped a shot into the net to knot the score with 2:07 remaining in the quarter.

"We really wanted to win this for [White],” Farrar said. “She really wanted the ring. They were the top seed and we were No. 2, but they mainly relied on two girls. We'll definitely learn from this, and will come back even stronger." 

The final period began at a frantic pace with the teams trading chances to score the go-ahead goal. Farrar and Galate hit posts on back-to-back possessions and White got a hand up to deflect point-blank shots on breakaways by Warren's Kayla Casas and Saree Waugh.

Warren finally broke through when Castro whirled and fired a long-range shot that caromed off the left post and past White to give the Bears a 7-6 lead at the 3:30 mark. Castro struck again only 33 seconds later when she lofted a one-on-one shot just over White's outstretched arm to give Warren a two-goal advantage.

Segesman called a timeout to set up a play, and the Sharks immediately capitalized. Farrar scored from five meters out to pull Malibu back within one goal with 2:37 remaining in the game.

Malibu turned the ball over on its next two possessions, but senior Faith Brown got her fourth steal to give the Sharks an outnumbered rush that ended with a shot that went just wide of the goal. 

By the time Malibu got the ball back, the Bears had burned all but seven seconds off the clock. When White received the ball, she hesitated before throwing it the length of the pool, hoping a teammate might tip it in. Instead, the ball bounced harmlessly away, and Warren escaped with its first CIF title.

"We had control of the game there, and our defense was set up in a way that was meant to protect our own cage in case they ran a gimmicky play," said Cordero, Warren's coach. "They were hoping for a tip in."

Farrar said a lack of focus at the wrong time is the reason the Sharks ultimately fell short.

"We were rushing it,” she said. “We weren't quite sure what play we were running at the end. We sort of got caught up in the moment." 

It was the Sharks' second trip to the title game in three seasons. They lost to Walnut by one goal in the semifinals last season and fell in the championship game to Bonita the previous year. This season was a success by any measure.

"We had a great season," Segesman said. "We were Tri-Valley League champions and we had a team that came together and bonded. For a school that only has 650 kids, this is a great accomplishment."