Story by: Abigail Kim
Staff Writer
Photo by: Zoe Chen
Staff Writer and Photographer
Girls water polo challenged the San Marino Titans at home on Jan. 26, crushing them in a 15-0 victory. The game started off strong, with sophomore Ellen Leung stealing the ball from a Titan pass. A missed shot by junior Sabine Ornelas left the Titans in possession of the ball, but the Tigers quickly got it back. Junior goalie Reese Buckley passed to Ornelas, who shot again and scored, leaving the Tigers up one point within just a minute and a half of the first quarter.
San Marino passed the ball back and forth, but the shot clock ran out before they had a chance to shoot. Freshman Hayun Lee then intercepted the ball from a Titan player, and passed to Buckley. Buckley threw the ball to sophomore Amaya Mahler, who swam towards the goal and made the shot, putting the Tigers up 2-0.
The Titans scrambled to keep up, already down two points in the first quarter. The titans tried to score, but South Pasadena’s defense was too strong for any success. Back on offense, Buckley passed to Mahler, who scored another goal. Throughout the rest of the quarter, the Titans and the Tigers passed back and forth between their respective teams, but no one was able to secure a goal. The first quarter ended with the Tigers up 3-0.
A quick pass from Lee to Mahler kicked off the second quarter, but the Titans intercepted the ball. However, a quick rebound by Leung got the ball back for the Tigers, but the shot clock hit zero before they could score. San Marino then had a couple of missed shots, leading Buckley to pass to Lee, who scored, putting the score at 4-0.
The Titans attempted to score, but passes between sophomores Milla Humphrey, Cora Bild, and Leung kept the Tigers going strong. Leung passed to freshman Ruby Meyer, who got another point for the Tigers, putting them up 5-0. The Tigers’ defense remained strong throughout the rest of the quarter, but they were unable to score another point, leaving the score at 5-0 by the end of the second quarter.
The third quarter was where the Tigers seemed to really pick up their game. Buckley blocked many Titan shots, and passed to Lee, who scored a point. After the point, San Marino switched goalies, scrambling to make a comeback and block more shots. However, South Pasadena stayed strong, and a quick pass from Bild to Meyer allowed Meyer to shoot. Meyer then got two more shots, putting the score at 10-0. Sophomore Riis Dickey and Lee assisted Mahler, who got another point. At the end of the third quarter, San Marino was rapidly passing back and forth, looking for an opening to get a goal, but their efforts were thwarted as the buzzer went off.
The Tigers switched goalies from Buckley to Meyer for the fourth quarter. Mahler and Lee worked together, helping Mahler score within 10 seconds from the start. San Marino passed around, shooting the ball but missing. Humphrey then scored, putting the score at 13-0. Meyer, Leung, Bild, freshman Francesca Moura, and sophomore Maya Oniciuc all passed it around, but the shot clock ran out of time before they could secure a goal. San Marino called a time out, but after the Titans regained the ball, Leung intercepted it, passing to Meyer, who passed to Ornelas, who scored.
The Titans were down 14-0, attempting to shoot it in. San Marino attempted a very close shot, but was blocked by Meyer, who then threw to Buckley. The ball was passed to junior Lana Encinas, who threw it back to Buckley, but a Titan player intercepted it. However, when they shot it, it went over the goal, leaving them still down 14-0. The Tigers scored another point, and with the score now at 15-0, a Tiger win was all but guaranteed. Passes were made by both of the teams, and multiple shots were attempted, but neither of the teams could secure a point. The game finished 15-0.
“I feel like it could have been a more high scoring game, but overall I think we picked it up in the end and we started gaining some more momentum,” Meyer said.
The Tigers will face off against the Temple City Rams on Tuesday, Jan. 30 at home at 4:00 p.m.
