IRVINE – – Scoring goals during a water polo match is a good thing, but the ability to prevent teams from scoring is equally valuable.
ML King of Riverside turned in another fantastic defensive performance Wednesday afternoon, cruising past Troy, 11-2, during a CIF-SS Division3 semifinal at the Woollett Aquatic Center.
The Wolves (24-8) advanced to the section championship for the first time in the program’s history. King will take on Arroyo Grande on Saturday.
King has allowed only 10 goals through the first three matches in the playoffs. None of the opponents have scored more than four.
“The goal today was to hold them to five (goals),” King coach Casey Greenawalt said. “Well, that was my goal. The girls said four, and look, they were able to hold them to two.”
Getting players to buy into a defense-first philosophy is not hard.
“Most of us have played for Greenawalt since we were young,” senior co-captain Mary Myers said. “It been drilled into our heads that goals win matches, but defense is what win championships.”
King routed Troy, 12-2, at the Bonita Tournament in January. Troy (24-8) was able to slow Wednesday’s match down to a snail’s pace in the first quarter. Samantha Shaw’s power-play goal a minute and a half into the match helped King grab the early 1-0 advantage.
Troy broke break a scoreless drought of 111/2 minutes as Marissa Vaccher scored on a lob shot during the second period. The goal gave the Warriors confidence and cut King’s lead to 2-1.
King, however, bounced back and scored four straight goals over the final 21/2 minutes of the first half. Myers got that crucial run started for the Wolves. Freshman Madison Stamen scored the next two goals, and Shaw scored with 20 seconds left in the half.
“Being able to answer back and build that lead up to five before halftime was so important,” Greenawalt said. “Troy had a chance to get back into the game, but we seized upon the opportunity.”
Troy had trouble settling into its offense due to King’s pressure on the perimeter. The Wolves finished with 17 steals.
Ava Mattis earned a penalty shot for Troy during the third period, but King goalkeeper Hannah McCarley deflected it over the cage. McCarley, a sophomore, finished the match with 12 saves.
“I never look at the eyes during a penalty shot,” McCarley said. “I’m focused on shoulders ’cause that’ll tell me where it’s going.”
Troy didn’t score again until the 4:16 mark of the fourth quarter. Vaccher’s goal ended a drought of 12 minutes and 22 seconds.
Shaw received plenty of attention from Troy’s defense because she scored four times in the previous meeting. The junior center was able to shake free of defenders and again finish with four goals.
“She had always done well with her positioning, but now she has added the shot to go with that,” Greenawalt said about Shaw. “She was working tremendously hard to get these opportunities.”
Myers said playing for a title in her final match for the Wolves is a dream come true.
“That’s been the goal all season,” Myers said. “We all have been working for the moment since last season ended. And it’s great to see that all of that work has paid off for us throughout the year.”
Contact the writer: ejohnson@pressenterprise.com
